Stockholm: Sweden by Universitetsservice AB. 2010 — 250 р.
Mitochondrial form and function in pancreatic β-cells and brown adipocytes
Picture on cover: Brown adipocyte stained with the red mitochondrial membrane potential sensitive dye
TMRE. In addition a subset of the mitochondrial population is also labeled with photo-convertible GFP.
The image was acquired with a Zeiss LSM 710 confocal microscope.
Mitochondria stand in the center of metabolism and compromised mitochondrial function
has been shown in metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. To develop
mitochondrial targeted therapeutics, an improved understanding of the regulation of
mitochondrial function is needed. This thesis is focused on the role of mitochondria in
two tissues highly dependent on mitochondria: pancreatic β-cells and brown adipose
tissue (BAT). The role of mitochondria in these tissues is opposite. In β-cells,
mitochondrial ATP production is necessary for insulin secretion while in BAT
mitochondria produce heat by disconnecting the respiratory chain from ATP synthesis.
Two main aspects of mitochondria were explored; mitochondrial functional efficiency
and the interrelationship between mitochondrial shape and function
