Human blood contains circulating cell-free mitochondria, but are they really functional?
Antoine Stier
Abstract
The recently reported cell-free mitochondria in human blood have been thought to be respiratory competent, giving rise to speculation about their biological function(s). By characterizing their bioenergetics in vitro, we show that circulating cell-free mitochondria are unlikely to be functional in vivo since they display no potential for oxidative phosphorylation.
Topics & Concepts
MitochondrionOxidative phosphorylationBioenergeticsCell biologyIn vivoCellHuman bloodIn vitroBiologyCell functionBlood cellPhosphorylationImmunologyBiochemistryPhysiologyGeneticsMitochondrial Function and PathologyMetabolomics and Mass Spectrometry StudiesATP Synthase and ATPases Research