In this video, we're going to talk about mitochondria structure. Mitochondria in textbooks are always shown with the same typical shape, which is this bean type of shape that you see down below in our image. But in reality, it turns out that mitochondria can actually vary in their shape, and they're not always bean-shaped; they can be all kinds of different shapes. Moreover, mitochondria have their own set of ribosomes, as well as their own set of DNA. The ribosomes are independent from the ribosomes found throughout the rest of the cell. The DNA that's found in the mitochondria is also independent of the DNA found in the rest of the cell, such as the nuclear DNA.

When it comes to mitochondrial structure, there are several different structures and regions that we should be aware of. The first thing that you should know about their structures is that mitochondria have two membranes, not just one. They have an outer membrane, and then they also have a folded inner membrane. The folds in the inner membrane are called cristae. We'll be able to see that down below when we get to our image. The region that's in between the two membranes, the outer mitochondrial membrane and the inner mitochondrial membrane, is called the intermembrane space. We'll be able to see that down below in our image as well. The matrix specifically refers to another region within the mitochondria, located within the inner membrane. This region contains enzymes, ribosomes, and mitochondrial DNA.

Let's take a look at our image down below to get a better understanding of mitochondrial structure. The mitochondria are going to have two membranes, an outer membrane and a folded inner membrane. The outer membrane, which I'll put here in red, is more simple; there are no folds in the outer membrane. But when you take a look at the inner membrane, which I'll highlight here in green, you'll see that it creates all of these folds in here, and the inner membrane is not just rounded and smooth; it's highly folded. Those folds that you see in the inner membrane are called cristae. The space that's in between the outer membrane and the inner membrane is called the intermembrane space. It's the region between the two membranes. The matrix refers to the region that's within the inner membrane. And the matrix here is colored with a blue color throughout this image. It contains enzymes, ribosomes, and mitochondrial DNA. If we zoom into the matrix here, what you'll notice is that it contains enzymes, which we're showing you, are represented here in the image. They also contain ribosomes, which are represented as these green circles in the image, and they also contain mitochondrial DNA, which is circular in its shape.

This here really concludes mitochondrial structure, and we'll be able to get some practice applying the concepts that we've learned here as we move forward in our course. So, I'll see you all in our next video.