Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a small green alga, is an ideal model organism for its ease of cultivation and genetic manipulation. It can grow through photosynthesis or organic carbon in the dark. Widely used in biopharmaceuticals, biofuels, and hydrogen made research, its genome is vital for mitochondrial studies, containing genes for 6 of 13 mitochondrial proteins in the nucleus, impacting genetic mitochondrial disease therapies.