Life as a biological process is one throughout the biosphere, and it exists on the basis of fundamental principles. Therefore, different forms of life, as well as various structural components of representatives of biological species, have significant similarities. In part, they are provided by a common origin or the performance of similar functions. In this context, it is necessary to analyze in detail the similarities between mitochondria and chloroplasts, although at first glance these cell organelles have little in common.
Mitochondria
Mitochondria are called two-membrane cellular structures responsible for the energy supply of the nucleus and organelles. They are found in the cells of bacteria, plants, fungi and animals. They are responsible for cellular respiration, that is, the final assimilation of oxygen, from which, as a result of biochemical transformation, energy is extracted for the synthesis of macroergs. This is achievedby charge transfer across the mitochondrial membrane and enzymatic oxidation of glucose.
Chloroplasts
Chloroplasts are the cell organelles of plants, some photosynthetic bacteria and protists. These are cellular double-membrane structures in which glucose is synthesized using the energy of sunlight. This process is achieved by the transfer of photon energy and the occurrence of enzymatic reactions associated with the transfer of charge across the membrane. The result of photosynthesis is the utilization of carbon dioxide, the synthesis of glucose and the release of molecular oxygen.
Similarities between mitochondria and chloroplasts
Chloroplasts and mitochondria are cell organelles with two membranes. The first layer protects them from the cytoplasm of the cell, and the second one forms numerous folds on which charge transfer processes take place. The principle of their work is similar, but directed in different directions. In mitochondria, glucose is oxidized enzymatically using oxygen, and carbon dioxide acts as reaction products. As a result of the transformation, energy is also synthesized.
In chloroplasts, the reverse process is observed - the synthesis of glucose and the release of oxygen from carbon dioxide with the consumption of light energy. This is a fundamental difference between these organelles, but only the direction of the process differs. Its electrochemistry is almost identical, although differentintermediaries.
You can also consider in detail what the similarities between mitochondria and chloroplasts are. It lies in the autonomy of organelles, since they even have their own DNA molecule, which stores the codes for structural proteins and enzymes. Both organelles have their own autonomous apparatus for protein biosynthesis, therefore chloroplasts and mitochondria are able to independently provide themselves with the necessary enzymes and restore their structure.
CV
The main similarity between mitochondria and chloroplasts is their autonomy within the cell. Separated from the cytoplasm by a double membrane and having their own complex of biosynthetic enzymes, they are in no way dependent on the cell. They also have their own set of genes, and therefore can be considered a separate living organism. There is a phylogenetic theory that in the early stages of the development of unicellular life, mitochondria and chloroplasts were the simplest prokaryotes.
It says that in a certain period they were absorbed by another cell. Due to the presence of a separate membrane, they were not split, becoming an energy donor for the "owner". In the course of evolution, due to the exchange of genes in pre-nuclear organisms, the DNA of chloroplasts and mitochondria was integrated into the genome of the host cell. From that moment on, the cell itself was able to assemble these organelles, if they were not transferred to it during mitosis.
