Which organelle is responsible for energy production in the cell?

A. Mutation: A change in the DNA sequence of a gene, not the regulated process of cell death.
B. Cell migration: Movement of cells from one location to another during development or repair, not a form of programmed death.
C. Cell division: The process by which a cell replicates and splits (mitosis/cytokinesis), the opposite of cell elimination.
D. Programmed cell death: Apoptosis is an orderly, regulated process involving caspases, cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, and DNA fragmentation that eliminates cells without provoking inflammation.

A. Mitochondria: Mitochondria produce ATP and have their own small genome, but they are not the primary site of protein synthesis for the bulk of cellular proteins.
B. Ribosomes: Ribosomes are the molecular complexes that translate mRNA into polypeptides and synthesize proteins.
C. Peroxisomes: Peroxisomes are involved in oxidative reactions (e.g., fatty acid breakdown) and detoxification, not protein synthesis.
D. Nucleus: The nucleus contains DNA and manages gene expression; it directs protein synthesis but does not perform translation itself.