Cardiac muscle cells contain mitochondria whose inner membranes fold into densely packed cristae, far more elaborate than skin cell mitochondria show. Which relationship best explains this difference?

Core Concept

Electron transport complexes and ATP synthase sit embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane, so folding multiplies the capacity available to build and spend the proton gradient that powers phosphorylation. Heart tissue consumes ATP almost continuously and packs correspondingly elaborate cristae. Interior architecture scales with the metabolic demand of the surrounding cell type.