The mitochondrion isn't the bacterium it was in its prime, say two billion years ago. Since getting consumed by our common single-celled ancestor the 'energy powerhouse' organelle has lost most of its 2,000+ genes, likely to the nucleus. There are still a handful left -- depending on the organism -- but the question is why. One explanation is that these genes are too important to encode inside of the nucleus.
The mitochondrion isn't the bacterium it was in its prime, say two billion years ago. Since getting consumed by our common single-celled ancestor the 'energy powerhouse' organelle has lost most of its 2,000+ genes, likely to the nucleus. There are still a handful left -- depending on the organism -- but the question is why. One explanation is that these genes are too important to encode inside of the nucleus.
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