Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Mar;56(3):145-9.
doi: 10.1007/s10616-008-9143-2. Epub 2008 Jun 24.

A method for measuring mitochondrial mass and activity

Maria Agnello  1 , Giovanni Morici, Anna Maria Rinaldi
Affiliations

A method for measuring mitochondrial mass and activity

Maria Agnello et al. Cytotechnology. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Mitochondria, responsible for the energy-generating process essential for the cell metabolism, differ for the number, localization and activity in animal cells and tissues in relation to the energetic needs. Using fluorescent probes specific for mitochondria, Mitotracker Green (MTG) and Orange (MTO), and Confocal Laser-Scanning Microscope (CLSM), we elaborated a method to measure in vivo the mitochondrial mass and activity, in sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus eggs and embryos. The analysis of captured images, revealed a variation of mitochondrial distribution and an increase of activity after fertilization.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mitochondrial mass and oxidative activity. Distribution of green (MTG) and red (MTO) in 15 parallel sections of unfertilized eggs (A), just fertilized eggs (B), 4 blastomeres (C). Green (1) and red (2) fluorescence; (3) merge. Bar = 50 μm
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Enlargement of 3 sections of unfertilized eggs (A), just fertilized eggs (B), 4 blastomeres stage (C). Bar = 50 μm
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mitochondrial activity relative to mass. Normalization of red signals (Ir) versus green (Ig) of unfertilized eggs, just fertilized eggs, 4 blastomeres. The Ir and Ig values are measured along the equatorial plane. 100 pixel = 30 μm
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cannino G, Ferruggia E, Luparello C, Rinaldi AM (2008) Effects of cadmium chloride on some mitochondria-related activity and gene expression of human MDA-MB231 breast tumor cells (in press) - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.07.112', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.07.112'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '15313211', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15313211/'}]}
    2. Carra E, Sangiorgi D, Gattuccio F, Rinaldi AM (2004) Male infertility and mitochondrial DNA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 322:333–339 - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1023/A:1022450831360', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1022450831360'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9387097', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9387097/'}]}
    2. Cuezva JM, Ostronoff LK, Ricart J, Lopez de Heredia M, Di Liegro CM, Izquierdo JM (1997) Mitochondrial biogenesis in the liver during development and oncogenesis. J Bioenerg Biomembr 29:365–377 - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'PMC', 'value': 'PMC83923', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC83923/'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9858589', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9858589/'}]}
    2. Enriquez JA, Fernandez-Silva P, Garrido-Perez N, Lopez-Perez MJ, Perez-Martos A, Montoya J (1999) Direct regulation of mitochondrial RNA synthesis by thyroid hormone. Mol Cell Biol 19:657–670 - PMC - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1113/eph8802500', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1113/eph8802500'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '12525853', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12525853/'}]}
    2. Goffart S, Wiesner RJ (2003) Regulation and co-ordination of nuclear gene expression during mitochondrial biogenesis. Exp Physiol 88:33–40 - PubMed