Abundant Recurrent Mitochondrial Mutations and Widespread Mitonuclear Epistasis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: Coordinated genetic and physical interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear gene products regulate ATP production in the mitochondria. Linking mitochondrial genotypes and mitonuclear genetic interactions to phenotypes remains a complex challenge. Here, we have developed Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for mitonuclear epistasis studies. In a sample of 540 genetically distinct wild isolates, 10% of sites in the mitochondrial genome vary, with hundreds of missense mutations segregating in the species. Recurrent mutations and triallelic sites are common. Phylogenetic analyses of mitogenome sequences identified 8 distinct lineages, each with diagnostic variants. Principal component analysis of the nuclear genomes showed considerable concordance between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes in

SUBMITTER: Nguyen THM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12690269 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature