Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells
Published on: May 16, 2019
Chloroplastic and mitochondrial metal homeostasis
Cécile Nouet1, Patrick Motte, Marc Hanikenne
1Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, Center for Protein Engineering, Department of Life Sciences (B22), University of Liège, Belgium.
Abstract:
Transition metal deficiency has a strong impact on the growth and survival of an organism. Indeed, transition metals, such as iron, copper, manganese and zinc, constitute essential cofactors for many key cellular functions. Both photosynthesis and respiration rely on metal cofactor-mediated electron transport chains. Chloroplasts and mitochondria are, therefore, organelles with high metal ion demand and represent essential components of the metal homeostasis network in photosynthetic cells. In this review, we describe the metal requirements of chloroplasts and mitochondria, the acclimation of their functions to metal deficiency and recent advances in our understanding of their contributions to cellular metal homeostasis, the control of the cellular redox status and the synthesis of metal cofactors.
Related Concept Videos
pH Regulation in Cells
Cytosolic pH
Under physiological conditions, the cytosolic pH is slightly more acidic than the extracellular pH. However, cells must prevent further acidification of their cytosol to...
Mitochondrial Membranes
Mitochondrial Membranes
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...
The Supercomplexes in the Crista Membrane

