Decoding the Hot-Mitochondrion Paradox
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866908692466630656 |
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| author | Fahimi, Peyman Lynch, Michael Matta, Cherif F. |
| author_facet | Fahimi, Peyman Lynch, Michael Matta, Cherif F. |
| contents | In a 2018 paper and a subsequent article published in 2023, researchers reported that mitochondria maintain temperatures 10-15 degrees celsius higher than the surrounding cytoplasm - a finding that deviates by 5 to 6 orders of magnitude from theoretical predictions based on Fourier's law of heat conduction. In 2022, we proposed a solution to this apparent paradox. In the present perspective, we build upon that framework and introduce new ideas to further unravel how a biological membrane - whether of an organelle or a whole cell - can become significantly warmer than its environment. We propose that proteins embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) can be modeled as ratchet engines, introducing a novel, previously overlooked mode of heat transfer. This mechanism, coupled with localized heat release during the cyclical dehydration-translocation-hydration of ions through membrane proteins, may generate transient but substantial temperature spikes. The cumulative effect of these microscopic events across the three-dimensional surface of the IMM can account for the elevated temperatures detected by molecular probes. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_16824 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Decoding the Hot-Mitochondrion Paradox Fahimi, Peyman Lynch, Michael Matta, Cherif F. Subcellular Processes In a 2018 paper and a subsequent article published in 2023, researchers reported that mitochondria maintain temperatures 10-15 degrees celsius higher than the surrounding cytoplasm - a finding that deviates by 5 to 6 orders of magnitude from theoretical predictions based on Fourier's law of heat conduction. In 2022, we proposed a solution to this apparent paradox. In the present perspective, we build upon that framework and introduce new ideas to further unravel how a biological membrane - whether of an organelle or a whole cell - can become significantly warmer than its environment. We propose that proteins embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) can be modeled as ratchet engines, introducing a novel, previously overlooked mode of heat transfer. This mechanism, coupled with localized heat release during the cyclical dehydration-translocation-hydration of ions through membrane proteins, may generate transient but substantial temperature spikes. The cumulative effect of these microscopic events across the three-dimensional surface of the IMM can account for the elevated temperatures detected by molecular probes. |
| title | Decoding the Hot-Mitochondrion Paradox |
| topic | Subcellular Processes |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.16824 |