Chapter 5 – BIOLOGICAL OXIDATIONS AND ENERGETICS IN INSECT MITOCHONDRIA

Publisher Summary This chapter describes biological oxidations and energetics in insect mitochondria. It focuses on the work done in flight muscle and with isolated flight-muscle mitochondria. The complexities and interactions of mitochondrial biochemistry are understood in terms of ultrastructure, molecular organization, and functional role in cell metabolism. The morphological architecture of the tissue is significant. It provides the basis for the distinctive aggregation of enzymes into intracellular compartments, the role of membrane structure in mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation and ion-transport processes, the interaction between glycolytic and oxidative metabolism, the regulatory mechanisms of various metabolic pathways, and the physiological and biochemical similarities and differences between synchronous and asynchronous insect muscles. Specific amino acids have special roles in flight-muscle metabolism, and fat is the principal fuel in the sustained flights of many insects. The chapter discusses the metabolism of amino acids and fatty acids as it relates to their utilization by flight muscle.