Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Measurement of Protein Import Capacity of Skeletal Muscle Mitochondria
Published on: January 7, 2022
Looking Beyond Structure: Membrane Phospholipids of Skeletal Muscle Mitochondria
Timothy D Heden1, P Darrell Neufer2, Katsuhiko Funai3
1East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA; Department of Kinesiology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
Abstract:
Skeletal muscle mitochondria are highly dynamic and are capable of tremendous expansion to meet cellular energetic demands. Such proliferation in mitochondrial mass requires a synchronized supply of enzymes and structural phospholipids. While transcriptional regulation of mitochondrial enzymes has been extensively studied, there is limited information on how mitochondrial membrane lipids are generated in skeletal muscle. Herein we describe how each class of phospholipids that constitute mitochondrial membranes are synthesized and/or imported, and summarize genetic evidence indicating that membrane phospholipid composition represents a significant modulator of skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiratory function. We also discuss how skeletal muscle mitochondrial phospholipids may mediate the effect of diet and exercise on oxidative metabolism.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Mitochondrial Membranes
Mitochondrial Membranes
The Inner Mitochondrial Membrane
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles
The muscle sarcolemma is a plasma membrane enclosing each muscle cell that conducts electrical signals called action potentials. The sarcolemma extends into the cell to form T-tubules, ensuring the neural impulses are uniformly distributed across the entire muscle...
Membrane Lipids
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...

