Mitochondrial Function

Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation generates 20-fold greater amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through pyruvate oxidation to CO₂ than anaerobic glycolysis, which produces ATP by enzymatic reactions from glucose to pyruvate. In the kidney, proximal tubules are almost completely dependent on mitochondria for the generation of ATP. This bioenergetic function and its compromise during states of injury have long been recognized as major elements of cellular physiology and pathophysiology. During the past decade, it has also become evident that mitochondria are major regulators of apoptosis and the dynamics of intracellular calcium transients, and play important roles in signal transduction via their production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Thus, interest in their function and in ways of evaluating it has grown, and has become relevant to an expanding range of research questions.