Mitochondria are the cellular organelles that generate ATP₁ from oxidation of carbohydrates and other "food" molecules.  Shown here are 3D reconstructions of rat-liver mitochondria obtained by high-voltage (1000 kV) electron tomography at the Wadsworth Center's Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource (Albany, NY).
 

	This is a cluster of 14 mitochondria (yellow) in the vicinity of a multilayered stack of endoplasmic reticulum (blue-green). The close proximity between mitochondrial and ER membranes may be important for regulation of cellular Ca++ levels.
	This is a look inside an isolated mitochondrion, showing the outer membrane (OM), inner peripheral membrane (IM), and some of the internal compartments called cristae (C) formed by infolding of the inner membrane. Arrows point to narrow tubular regions of the IM that connect cristae to periphery and to each other. For a 3D Gallery model, click here.

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