Recombination of Human Mitochondrial DNA

Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a 16.5-kb. circular genome essential for the maintenance of mitochondrial function and is present in multiple copies in most cell types. High sequence divergence and maternal inheritance make mtDNA useful in tracing human lineages. Whether recombination occurs betw...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2004-05, Vol.304 (5673), p.981-981
Main Authors: Kraytsberg, Yevgenya, Schwartz, Marianne, Brown, Timothy A., Ebralidse, Konstantin, Kunz, Wolfram S., Clayton, David A., Vissing, John, Khrapko, Konstantin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal species
Biological and medical sciences
Biological evolution
Brevia
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Divergence
DNA
DNA Replication
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Evolution
Fathers
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Genomes
Humans
Male
Maternal inheritance
Mitochondria
Mitochondria, Muscle - genetics
Mitochondrial DNA
Molecules
Mothers
Older parents
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Population Education
Population studies
Recombination
Recombination, Genetic
Replication origin
Statistical Analysis
Yeasts
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Summary:Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a 16.5-kb. circular genome essential for the maintenance of mitochondrial function and is present in multiple copies in most cell types. High sequence divergence and maternal inheritance make mtDNA useful in tracing human lineages. Whether recombination occurs between mitochondrial genomes is a long-standing question in mitochondrial biology, human evolution, and population studies. MtDNA recombination occurs in yeast, and recombinant mtDNA has been found in several animal species; however, the evidence for recombination between heterologous mtDNA in humans is controversial.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1096342