A bridged view of mitochondria: Mitochondria by I.E. Scheffler, Wiley-Liss, 1999. £68.75 (xiv 1 367 pages) ISBN 0 471 19422 0

A big Thank You is in order to Immo Scheffler from the mitochondrial research community for his book entitled Mitochondria. This book brings together, for the first time, the old and the new of what is going on in the field. Research on mitochondria has undergone a resurgence of interest and a reincarnation in the last decade after a period of disinterest by the larger biological research community and, more worryingly, by grant-funding agencies.Early research focused mostly on the general structure of mitochondria and the process of oxidative phosphorylation, which is the key function of the organelle. After years of occasional excitement, a lot of hot air and one Nobel Prize, researchers were leaving the area; sometimes voluntarily out of boredom, often forcibly through lack of research funds. Then salvation – it turned out that mitochondrial dysfunctions cause human disease. Moreover, these diseases were often a result of mutations in mtDNA, providing new impetus to study mitochondrial genetics as well as organelle biogenesis. Enter a new breed of mitochondriac – and a reprieve for the survivors who could adapt.Then joy upon joy – it became clear that mitochondria are involved in programmed cell death, and could thus be linked to neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and aging. Add a whole new set of researchers – many with ‘MD’ as well as ‘PhD’ after their name. ‘But do the newcomers understand the basics of mitochondrial structure and function, particularly the concept of bioenergetics?’ I hear the old-timers say.With the publication of Scheffler's book, there can be no excuses. Let the crosstalk between basic and applied researchers on mitochondria begin, as both sides read this excellent book. The first chapter is a brief history of research in the field, which, for those of us who have been around for a while, brings back memories of strong and often eccentric personalities who contributed extensively to our present knowledge of bioenergetics. Chapters follow on evolution of the organelle, structure and morphology, biogenesis, functioning, pathology and, finally, on evolutionary aspects of this organelle.The section on the structure and morphology of mitochondria is an example of the thoroughness with which the book covers the various topics. A historical perspective is provided, briefly reviewing electron-microscopic examination of mitochondria and focusing on how advances came with improvements in technology; in this case, most recently through the development of high-voltage instruments and computer processing of data. Very recent observations are covered, including the elegant studies by Frey and Mannella and their colleagues of 3D reconstructions of mitochondria in situ, which are only now being published in peer-reviewed journals. Scheffler then covers the recent insights on mitochondrial morphology and integration in the cell that have come from fluorescence imaging of live cells. The chapter finishes, as do all others, with a summary of unsolved problems. Particularly noteworthy, each chapter includes a well-thought-out selection of the most pertinent publications.Other topics are covered in an equally up-to-date way. The chapter on electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation integrates the functional studies with the wealth of new high-resolution structural data to emphasize both the certainties and uncertainties about the mechanisms of the various protein complexes involved. The chapter on mitochondrial mutations and disease is comprehensive and proves an overview of the inheritance patterns of mitochondrial DNA mutations and the diseases such mutations cause. Most importantly, there are clearly written arguments for and against a role of mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as in aging. The chapter finishes with a view of male sterility, which is due to mutations of mitochondrial DNA, usually the ATPase 6 gene. The mitochondrial link exists only in plants (so far).In summary, the book Mitochondria provides an invaluable archive, which is remarkably readable, and should be on the desk, or even the bedside, of everyone working on this important organelle.