The Collaborative International Dictionary
Wiktionary
n. The internal compartments formed by the inner membrane of a mitochondrion, where many chemical reactions take place.
Wikipedia
A crista (; plural cristae) is a fold in the inner membrane of a mitochondrion. The name is from the Latin for crest or plume, and it gives the inner membrane its characteristic wrinkled shape, providing a large amount of surface area for chemical reactions to occur on. This aids aerobic cellular respiration, because the mitochondrion requires oxygen. Cristae are studded with proteins, including ATP synthase and a variety of cytochromes.
With the discovery of the dual-membrane nature of mitochondria, the pioneers of mitochondrial ultrastructural research proposed different models for the organization of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Three models proposed were:
- Baffle model – According to Palade, the mitochondrial inner membrane is convoluted in a baffle-like manner with broad openings towards the intra-cristal space. This model entered most textbooks and was widely believed for a long time.
- Septa model – Sjöstrand suggested that sheets of inner membrane are spanned like septa (plural of septum) through the matrix, separating it into several distinct compartments.
- Crista junction model – Daems and Wisse proposed that cristae are connected to the inner boundary membrane via tubular structures characterized by rather small diameters, termed crista junctions (CJs). These structures were rediscovered recently by EM tomography, leading to the establishment of this currently widely accepted model.
Crista is an internal compartment formed by the inner membrane of a mitochondrion.
Crista may also refer to:
- Crista (given name)
- Crista Ministries, a collection of Christian ministries in Shoreline, Washington
In anatomy:
- Crista ampullaris, a sensory organ of the internal ear
- Crista dividens, a structure in the developing heart of the human embryo
- Crista frontalis, the frontal crest, a structure of the skull
- crista interfenestralis, an anatomical feature that separates the inner ear in two found in some reptiles
- Crista occipitalis interna, the internal occipital crest, a structure in the skull
- Crista terminalis, a crest structure in the heart
In species:
- Gyraulus crista, a minute species of freshwater snail
- Ptilium crista-castrensis, a moss species
Crista may refer to:
- Crista Cullen (born 1985), an English field hockey player
- Crista Flanagan (born 1976), an American television and stand-up comedian
- Crista Nicole (born 1978), an American model and actress
Usage examples of "crista".
When Flattery's people blew up a rogue kelp bed five years back, Crista Galli surfaced with the debris.
His good eye was not focusing and a new darkness was upon him, but he was sure that the form he'd seen had been the pale Crista Galli.
His latest project featured Crista Galli and her life since her rescue in the kelp.
Ben and Crista Galli stood at the vortex of the two conflicts dividing Pandora: Flattery's handhold on their throats, and the Avata/Human standoff that kept it there.
Ben had wooed her away from the Director's very short leash, but Crista did the rest.
Flattery had made it clear that there was nothing in the world more deadly, more valuable than Crista Galli.
He had not thought that could happen again until the day he met Crista Galli, a meeting that had been half-motivated at the possibility of seeing Beatriz somewhere inside Flattery's compound.
Despite weekly access to Flattery's private compound, Beatriz showed no interest in Crista Galli.
Ben couldn't understand how Beatriz let the Crista Galli story slip through her fingers.
He and Crista had watched the Holovision newsbreak the night before in one of the Zavatans' underground chambers.
In our headlines this evening, Crista Galli was abducted a few hours ago from her quarters in the Preserve.
It had taken thousands of years, travel from star to star, the near-annihilation of humankind to bring Ben and Crista Galli together.
Many of the faithful among the people of Pandora claimed that this was why Avata formed Crista Galli, to present itself in an acceptable form.
He'd not only touched the forbidden Crista Galli, but he'd kissed her.
He waited for Crista to wake, for Rico's code-knock at the door, to see what they would make of the rest of their lives.