Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals
07:40

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

Direct evidence for extensive paternal mitochondrial DNA inheritance in the marine mussel Mytilus

E Zouros1, K R Freeman, A O Ball

  • 1Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Nature
|October 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inheritance in animals is typically maternal. However, this study reveals extensive paternal mtDNA contribution in mussels, significantly higher than previously observed in other animals like mice.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Marine Biology

Background:

  • Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inheritance in animals has traditionally been considered strictly maternal.
  • Recent studies suggested incidental paternal mtDNA leakage in Drosophila and mice, at very low frequencies (approx. 10^-4).
  • The high frequency of heteroplasmic individuals in the marine mussel Mytilus has been debated as evidence for biparental mtDNA inheritance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the extent of paternal mtDNA contribution in marine mussels (Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus).
  • To compare paternal mtDNA inheritance frequencies in mussels with those reported in other animal models.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted pair-matings involving two species: Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus.
  • Analyzed offspring for the presence and frequency of both maternal and paternal mtDNA contributions.

Main Results:

  • Observed extensive contribution of paternal mtDNA in both intra- and interspecific crosses of Mytilus.
  • Paternal mtDNA contributions in mussels were several orders of magnitude higher than those previously inferred for Drosophila and mice.

Conclusions:

  • The findings provide strong evidence for significant biparental mtDNA inheritance in Mytilus.
  • Mussels exhibit a unique and much higher frequency of paternal mtDNA transmission compared to other studied animal groups.

More Related Videos

A Converging Strategy for the Generation of a Virtually Sequenced cDNA Library from Unreferenced Pacific Oysters12:14

A Converging Strategy for the Generation of a Virtually Sequenced cDNA Library from Unreferenced Pacific Oysters

Published on: June 13, 2019

Genotyping of Sea Anemone during Early Development07:04

Genotyping of Sea Anemone during Early Development

Published on: May 13, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Non-nuclear Inheritance01:29

Non-nuclear Inheritance

Most DNA resides in the nucleus of a cell. However, some organelles in the cell cytoplasm⁠—such as chloroplasts and mitochondria⁠—also have their own DNA. These organelles replicate their DNA independently of the nuclear DNA of the cell in which they reside. Non-nuclear inheritance describes the inheritance of genes from structures other than the nucleus.
The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.The collection of fossils within sedimentary rocks give a record of common ancestry and often depicts the history of evolution.
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

Genetic transfer occurs when genetic information is passed from one organism to another. It occurs via two mechanisms: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer occurs when genetic information is transferred from one generation to the next, which happens much more frequently than horizontal gene transfer. Both sexual and asexual reproduction are forms of vertical gene transfer, where one or more organisms pass some or all of their genome onto their progeny.
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics02:59

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
Modern Molecular Taxonomy01:29

Modern Molecular Taxonomy

Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...