A mitochondrion (/ˌmaɪtəˈkɒndriən/;[1] pl: mitochondria) is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used throughout the cell as a source of chemical energy.[2] They were discovered by Albert von Kölliker in 1857[3] in the voluntary muscles of insects. The term mitochondrion was coined by Carl Benda in 1898. The mitochondrion is popularly nicknamed the "powerhouse of the cell", a phrase coined by Philip Siekevitz in a 1957 article of the same name.[4] Some cells in some multicellular organisms lack mitochondria (for example, mature mammalian red blood cells). A large number of unicellular organisms, such as microsporidia, parabasalids and diplomonads, have reduced or transformed their mitochondria into other structures.[5] The eukaryote Monocercomonoides is known to have completely lost its mitochondria,[6] and the multicellular organism Henneguya salminicola is known to have retained mitochondrion-related organelles in association with a complete loss of their mitochondrial genome.[6][7][8]
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