The human mitochondrial genome may code for more than 13 proteins
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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing
Published on: February 10, 2023
Charlotte Capt1, Marco Passamonti2, Sophie Breton1
1a Département de Sciences Biologiques , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec , Canada and.
Abstract:
The human mitochondrial (mt) DNA is commonly described as a small, maternally inherited molecule that encodes 13 protein components of the oxidative phosphorylation system and 24 structural RNAs required for their translation. However, recent studies indicate that the human mtDNA has a larger functional repertoire than previously believed. This paper briefly summarizes these studies, which suggest to reconsider our way to describe the human mitochondrial DNA as it may code for more than 13 proteins.
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