TITLE:
Opaque Polyploid Cells in Ishikawa Endometrial Cultures Are Capable of Forming Megamitochondria, Organelles Derived from the Adaptation of Fused Mitochondria Whose Capacity to Develop Gaseous Vacuoles Suggests CO2 Retention and Hypoxic Metabolism
AUTHORS:
Honoree Fleming
KEYWORDS:
Mitonucleons, Megamitochondria, Opaque Polyploid Cells, Membrane Extensions, Extracellular Vesicles, Reductive Carboxylation, Endogenous Biotin, Hypoxia
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.12 No.7,
July
22,
2021
ABSTRACT: Opaque polyploid cells capable of forming
megamitochondria are a constant feature in
colonies of Ishikawa endometrial epithelia, accounting for approximately
5% - 10% of the cells. Opaque cells appear to communicate
with other opaque cells via membrane
extensions and with other cells in a colony by extra-cellular vesicles. Opaque
cells form first as rectangular structures, somewhat larger than surrounding
monolayer cells. The cells eventually round up, remaining in the colony for 20 or more hours before detaching. The most unusual characteristic of Ishikawa opaque cells is
their capacity to form mitonucleons, megamitochondria that surround aggregated
chromatin. This paper reviews evidence that adaptations resulting in
megamitochondria include a loss of the
capacity for oxidative phosphorylation leaving the adapted megamitochondria
reliant on metabolism such as reductive carboxylation.