Anomalous Diffusion Induced by Cristae Geometry in the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane
Figure 5
Diffusion in the inner membrane having lamellar cristae.
(A) Relative diffusivities projected on the long mitochondrial axis for mitochondria having lamellar cristae with varying geometry as indicated by the radius of the lamellae expressed as a fraction of mitochondrial radius (Rm = 200 nm) and 3 junctions per crista. Cristae junction radius a = 14 nm, density σ = 42 cristae per µm of mitochondrial length, fully permeable junctions. (B) Blue dots: same as (A), but for the number of junctions increasing with lamella radii from 1 to 6. This condition reflects the proposition [13] that lamellar cristae may have formed via fusion of a number of tubular ones For comparison, the projected diffusivities of two tubular geometries are shown as red circles. For tubular cristae, length L = (2.10Rm, 2.18Rm) and density σ = 126 were chosen to give the same cristae surface area and number of junctions as in the case of corresponding lamellar cristae.