A computational study of the role of mitochondrial organization on cardiac bioenergetics

Abstract

All cells in the body have a specific shape and internal organization which is specific to that cell's function. Heart cells are rod-shaped, and contain arrays of contractile protines (myofibrils) and mitochondria (organelles that produce energy) that are aligned along the length of the rod. This arrangement is presumed to allow the cell to generate maximal contractile force for each heartbeat and for energy metabolites to be readily available to generate this force. Heart disease phenotypes, such as diabetic cardiomyopathy and heart failure, exhibit altered organization of mitochondria. However, physiological and computational studies have predominantly investigated the effect of the bioche..