[Analysis of mutation mechanisms in human mitochondrial DNA]

The reasons of high level of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability remain to be largely unclear. We analyze here three probable mechanisms of mutagenesis leading to generation of mtDNA nucleotide substitutions: (1) deamination of DNA bases; (2) tautomeric migrations of protons in nitrous bases; and (3) hydrolysis of glycoside link between DNA bases and carbohydrate residue on the background of free radical damage of the mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma. By means of quanto-chemical calculations, it was shown that the most substantiated mechanism of mutation generation is hydrolysis of N-glycoside link. This mechanism is suggestive to be more prominent on the H-strand, which remains to be single-stranded for a long time during the mtDNA replication. It was revealed also that hydrolytic deamination of adenines on the single-stranded H-strand is among of the most probable mechanisms leading to high frequency of T --> C transitions seen in the L-strand mutational spectra of the mtDNA major non-coding region.