(chondriosome) n. (pl. mitochondria) a structure, occurring in varying numbers in the cytoplasm of every cell, that is the site of the cell’s energy production. Mitochondria contain *ATP and the enzymes involved in the cell’s metabolic activities, and also their own DNA; mitochondrial genes (which in humans encode 13 proteins) are inherited through the female line. Each mitochondrion is bounded by a double membrane, the inner being folded inwards to form projections (cristae). —mitochondrial adj.... mitochondrion
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