Modeling mitochondrial function

Abstract

The mitochondrion represents a unique opportunity to apply mathematical modeling to a complex biological system. Understanding mitochondrial function and control is important since this organelle is critical in energy metabolism as well as playing key roles in biochemical synthesis, redox control/signaling, and apoptosis. A mathematical model, or hypothesis, provides several useful insights including a rigorous test of the consensus view of the operation of a biological process as well as providing methods of testing and creating new hypotheses. The advantages of the mitochondrial system for applying a mathematical model include the relative simplicity and understanding of the matrix reactions, the ability to study the mitochondria as a independent contained organelle, and, most importantly, one can dynamically measure many of the internal reaction intermediates, on line. The developing ability to internally monitor events within the metabolic network, rather than just the inflow and outflow, is extremely useful in creating critical bounds on complex mathematical models using the individual reaction mechanisms available. However, many serious problems remain in creating a working model of mitochondrial function including the incomplete definition of metabolic pathways, the uncertainty of using in vitro enzyme kinetics, as well as regulatory data in the intact system and the unknown chemical activities of relevant molecules in the matrix. Despite these formidable limitations, the advantages of the mitochondrial system make it one of the best defined mammalian metabolic networks that can be used as a model system for understanding the application and use of mathematical models to study biological systems.