Mitochondrial fragmentation drives selective removal of deleterious mtDNA in the germline.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondria contain their own genomes that, unlike nuclear genomes, are inherited only in the maternal line. Owing to a high mutation rate and low levels of recombination of mitrochondrial DNA (mtDNA), special selection mechanisms exist in the female germline to prevent the accumulation of deleterious mutations^1-5. However, the molecular mechanisms that underpin selection are poorly understood⁶. Here we visualize germline selection in Drosophila using an allele-specific fluorescent in situ-hybridization approach to distinguish wild-type from mutant mtDNA. Selection first manifests in the early stages of Drosophila oogenesis, triggered by reduction of the pro-fusion protein Mitofusin. This leads to the physical separation of mitochondrial genomes into different mitoch

SUBMITTER: Lieber T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6614061 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature