Tissue-specific maternal and paternal mitochondria DNA in the freshwater mussel, Anodonta grandis grandis

Abstract

Until recently, inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tn animals was thought to be strictly maternal. Evidence for incidental paternal mtDNA leakage was obtained in hybrid crosses of mice' and DrosophilaP An unusual pattern of mtDNA inheritance, i.e. double uniparental inheritance, was described in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis.'* and in the giant floater, Anodonta grandis grandis.' Here we report the distribution of maternal and paternal mitochondrial DNA in A j grandis, which differs from that in M edulis. In the mode of double uniparental inheritance of Mytdus edulis, the transmission of mitochondria! types depends upon the sex. Female offspring receive predominantly maternal mtDNA and transmit the maternal type mtDNA mto eggs, while males receive both maternal and paternal mtDNA and preferentially package the paternal type mtDNA mto sperm. Heteroplasmy of the maternal and paternal mtDNA is commonly found in the somatic tissues of male M. eduhs.*- 'A'a0 Liu