摘要
Mitochondria (singular, mitochondrion) are important organelles that in the center of energy production and information processing. They are primarily known as the powerhouse of the cell, as they produce most of the energy that cells need for all kinds of activities.This is done by generating the cellular energy currency,adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In addition to energy production, mitochondria play a central role in regulating signal transduction as signaling organelles.Mitochondria control Ca2+ homeostasis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and elimination, cellular differentiation, and programmed cell death (apoptosis).They are involved in many signaling pathways including calcium, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt,mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), wingless-int (Wnt), Ras, and insulin signaling pathways.
