Computational Potential of Mitochondrial Proteins

Mitochondrial proteins, though primarily studied for their roles in energy production (via oxidative phosphorylation), exhibit computational potential through the following mechanisms:

Many mitochondrial proteins (e.g., in Complex I–V) undergo conformational changes in response to metabolites or redox signals. These changes can be seen as state transitions, much like binary logic gates:

• Inputs: Substrate concentration, NADH/NAD⁺ ratio, ATP/ADP levels.
   
• Outputs: Protein conformation, ion transport, ATP synthesis.
   

This resembles finite-state machines or analog computation models, especially under time-varying inputs (e.g., circadian shifts).

Mitochondria regulate their internal states based on feedback signals from:

• Cytosolic Ca²⁺
   
• Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
   
• Mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm)
   

These resemble control structures in programming — such as if-then and do-while loops — supporting adaptive computations based on internal and external signals.

Mitochondrial proteins form dense interaction networks (e.g., metabolons). These networks:

• Enable modular signal processing
   
• Can act as reconfigurable logic circuits depending on phosphorylation states or localization.
   

This gives rise to reversible, transient computation, akin to biological RAM.

Fission, fusion, and mitophagy create a dynamic architecture where:

• Past exposures (e.g., to oxidative stress) influence future behavior.
   
• Epigenetic-like effects emerge at the organelle level.
   

Thus, mitochondrial behavior may store and recall state, allowing memory-like behavior, especially under recurring metabolic cycles.

The mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and redox state are continuous variables.

• Their fluctuations resemble analog signals in computation.
   
• Networks of mitochondria can therefore perform distributed, analog computation similar to artificial neural networks.
   

In the context of Biomatics — the study of naturally occurring mathematical computation — mitochondrial proteins exemplify distributed, energy-coupled computing units. They:

• Maintain state
   
• Respond to inputs
   
• Exhibit transition functions
   
• Form networks
   
• Process information dynamically
   

This makes them strong candidates for biological information processing and perhaps even for embedding synthetic molecular logic.