ISSN:
1522-9602
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Mathematics
Notes:
Abstract Under the assumption that the mitochondria of a cell are independently existing organisms their population size is modeled by a probabilistic branching process and, as with any colony of organisms, can conceivably die out. From the calculation of the probabilityP that a cell normally havingN=4 and 8 mitochondria could arise devoid of mitochondria either by extinction or by maldistribution and subsequent cell division, it is inferred that for known cell mitochondrial numbersP is vanishingly small. Therefore chance alone is adequate to explain the inclusion of mitochondria in both daughter cells during cell division.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02461207
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