Jan Tachezy – författare

The new edition focuses on the latest information on mitochondrion-derived organelles, particularly on hydrogenosomes and mitosomes. It has become more and more evident that hydrogenosomes and mitosomes are just two specific members of larger family of organelles derived to various extent from mitochondria due to adaptation to oxygen-poor environment and to the parasitic life style. Since the 1st edition, investigation of free-living protists and commensals has revealed that there is a continuous spectrum of mitochondria-derived organelles from typical aerobic mitochondria, mitochondria with stepwise loss of respiratory chain complexes and with concomitant gain of anaerobic pathways (particularly hydrogenase), via hydrogenosomes and mitosomes to the newly discovered organisms that completely lost mitochondria. 

Most of the experimental data collected relates to the human pathogens Trichomonas vaginalis harboring hydrogenosomes, and Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica with mitosoms. In principle, hydrogenosomes are hydrogen and ATP producing organelles, while the only known function in Giardia mitosomes is synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters, whereas mitosomes of E. histolytica possess the recently discovered sulfur activation pathway. Functions of other unusual mitochondria are mostly predicted based on transcriptomic/genomic analyses as corresponding organisms are not amenable to biochemical studies. 

"Hydrogenosomes and Mitosomes: Mitochondria of Anaerobic Eukaryotes" provides a summary of the current knowledge of these organelles, which occur in unicellular, often parasitic organisms, including human pathogens. The distribution of these organelles is broad, but they were detected primarily in an anoxic habitat or nutrient rich intracellular niche that permits life without the efficient energy generating system of typical mitochondria. Their common characteristic is that they lack the aerobic energy conservation system of typical mitochondria and that they are usually the site of the synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters, regarded as the only indispensable function of eukaryotic mitochondria.

These mitochondria-related organelles exhibit a variety of structures and functions. This work describes properties such as protein import, structure, metabolism, adaptation, proteome and their role in drug activation and resistance. Further topics include the evolution and biogenesisof these organelles.