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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...
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A eukaryotic cell can have up to three different types of genetic systems: nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast. During evolution, organelles have exported many genes to the nucleus; this transfer is still ongoing in some plant species. Approximately 18% of the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear genome is thought to be derived from the chloroplast’s cyanobacterial ancestor, and around 75% of the yeast genome derived from the mitochondria’s bacterial ancestor. This export has occurred irrespective...
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When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...
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Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing
07:24

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Published on: February 10, 2023

Positive and negative selection on the mitochondrial genome.

Colin D Meiklejohn1, Kristi L Montooth, David M Rand

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

Trends in Genetics : TIG
|April 10, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Mitochondrial DNA evolution challenges neutral theory, suggesting selection influences genetic drift and population size estimates. Further research into mitochondrial fitness is crucial for accurate evolutionary insights.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Population Genetics

Background:

  • Recent studies question the applicability of the neutral theory of molecular evolution to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).
  • Evidence suggests both positive and negative selection act on mitochondrial genes.
  • The complex genetics of mtDNA complicates evolutionary analyses and population size estimations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To address the inconsistencies between observed mtDNA variation and neutral evolution predictions.
  • To investigate the roles of selection, genetic drift, and 'genetic draft' in mtDNA evolution.
  • To explore the physiological basis of mitochondrial fitness.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of recent studies on mitochondrial DNA variation and evolution.
  • Review of evidence for selection acting on mitochondrial genes.
  • Conceptual framework distinguishing genetic drift from 'genetic draft'.

Main Results:

  • Mitochondrial DNA variation and evolution are not fully explained by neutral theory.
  • Selection, not just genetic drift, appears to play a significant role in mtDNA evolution.
  • Current methods for estimating effective population sizes using mtDNA may be unreliable.

Conclusions:

  • The neutral theory is insufficient to explain mitochondrial DNA evolution.
  • Distinguishing genetic drift from 'genetic draft' and understanding mitochondrial physiology are key to resolving debates.
  • Further research is needed to refine evolutionary models and population size estimations for mtDNA.