ABSTRACT
Mitochondria, which are mainly composed by proteins and lipids, are considered as the most complex and the most important organelles of eukaryotic cells. They not only play a leading role in the energy metabolism, but are also closely involved in many cellular processes. Furthermore, mitochondria have a manageable level of complexity as a consequence of their apparent prokaryotic ancestry. Their endosymbiotic origins have been well preserved in their double membrane structure, and they possess their own circular genome with mitochondria-specific transcription, translation, and protein assembly systems [1]. Based upon the human genome, there is estimated to be approximately 2000 to 2500 mitochondrial proteins [2], however, just over 600 have been identified at the protein level [3]. For this reason, mitochondria contain a great number of proteins that have yet to be identified and characterized.
