Mitochondrion of yeast: ultrastructural evidence for one giant, branched organelle per cell

Abstract

Three-dimensional models constructed from 80 to 150 consecutive serial sections of entire yeast cells showed that all the separate mitochondrial profiles were cross sections through a single, branching, tubular structure about 50 to 60 micrometers in length and 200 to 600 nanometers in diameter. The data are contrary to conventional notions of mitochondrial size, form, and number per cell and should lead to a reassessment of mitochondrial genetics and biogenesis.