brown adipose tissue

Brown fat cells possess large numbers of mitochondria...the energy in the mitochondrial electrochemical gradient is released in the form of heat.

Seale, P., & Lazar, M. A. (2009). Brown Fat in Humans: Turning up the Heat on Obesity. Diabetes, 58(7): 1482–1484. Retrieve from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2699856/


Mitochondria are the sites of the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation.

The basic principle behind oxidative phosphorylation is simple: The energy transferred to ATP is derived from the energy released when hydrogen ions combine with molecular oxygen to form water.

Unlike the enzymes of the Krebs cycle, which are soluble enzymes in the mitochondrial matrix, the proteins that mediate oxidative phosphorylation are embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

Widmaier, E.P., & Raff, H. (2008). Vander’s Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.