Abstract
The average mitochondrion, whether in a mammalian or in a lower eucaryotic cell (e.g., yeast), has approximately the same dimensions as the bacterium Escherichia coli. It is most commonly observed as an oval particle, 1–2 µm long and 0.5–1 µm wide. Mitochondria, therefore, are sufficiently large to be seen in the light microscope, and the earliest descriptions of this organelle were based on observations of fixed and stained tissues. For a more detailed description of the internal organization of mitochondria, investigators had to make use of the more highly resolving electron microscope. These studies began with the pioneering work of Claude and Palade whose electron micrographs of mitochondria in situ were of such excellence that they compare favorably with micrographs seen in journals today.
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© 1982 Plenum Press, New York
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Tzagoloff, A. (1982). Mitochondrial Structure and Compartmentalization. In: Mitochondria. Cellular Organelles. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3294-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3294-7_2
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