A Naturally Heteroplasmic Clam Provides Clues about the Effects of Genetic Bottleneck on Paternal mtDNA.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is present in multiple copies within an organism. Since these copies are not identical, a single individual carries a heterogeneous population of mtDNAs, a condition known as heteroplasmy. Several factors play a role in the dynamics of the within-organism mtDNA population: among them, genetic bottlenecks, selection, and strictly maternal inheritance are known to shape the levels of heteroplasmy across mtDNAs. In Metazoa, the only evolutionarily stable exception to the strictly maternal inheritance of mitochondria is the doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), reported in 100+ bivalve species. In DUI species, there are two highly divergent mtDNA lineages, one inherited through oocyte mitochondria (F-type) and the other through sperm mitochondria (M-type). Having both

SUBMITTER: Iannello M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7936021 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature