Question

Genetic reason why it would be unlikely for mitochondria to rebel and revert back to being bacteria

Answer 1

The theories suggest that Mitochondria and chloroplast have been developed from symbiotic bacteria. Thse organelles are considered to be engulfed by eukaryotic cells and estabilished a symbiotic relationship with the eukaryotic cell.

But, the chance of mitochondria to go back into an independant organism is very less. Mitochondria does not encode entire gene products for independant survival. Mitochondria requires various proteins and molecules to carry their function and most of these substances are transffered into mitochondria from cytosol. Thus, mitochondria depends on host cell for required proteins.