Uniparental Inheritance Of Mitochondrial DNA Research Articles

The fate of paternal mitochondrial DNA in developing female mussels, Mytilus edulis: implications for the mechanism of doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial DNA.

Species of the marine mussel family Mytilidae have two types of mitochondrial DNA: one that is transmitted from the mother to both female and male offspring (the F type) and one that is transmitted from the father to sons only (the M type). By using pair matings that produce only female offspring or a mixture of female and male offspring and a pair of oligonucleotide primers that amplify part of the COIII gene of the M but not the F mitochondrial genome, we demonstrate that both male and female embryos receive M mtDNA through the sperm and that within 24 hr after fertilization the M mtDNA is eliminated or is drastically reduced in female embryos but maintained in male embryos. These observations are important for understanding the relationship between mtDNA transmission and sex determination in species with doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial DNA.

The distribution of male-transmitted and female-transmitted mitochondrial DNA types in somatic tissues of blue mussels: Implications for the operation of doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial DNA

The distribution of male-transmitted and female-transmitted mitochondrial DNA types in somatic tissues of blue mussels: Implications for the operation of doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial DNA

The maternal inheritance of proteins synthesized in mammalian mitochondria

Interspecific variations between the proteins synthesized in the mitochondria of two closely related mammalian species were demonstrated to be maternally inherited by examination of their hybrid progeny. This, in accordance with the documented uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) would indicate that the latter codes for the products of mitochondrial translation.