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Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Transmitochondrial Cybrid Generation Using Cancer Cell Lines
Published on: March 17, 2023
Mitochondrial DNA Haplotypes Influence Energy Metabolism across Chicken Transmitochondrial Cybrids
Minghua Kong1, Hai Xiang2, Jikun Wang3
1National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture; College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Abstract:
The association between mitochondrial DNA haplotype and productive performances has been widely reported in chicken breeds. However, there has not been physiological evidence of this seen previously. In this study, chicken transmitochondrial cells were generated using the nucleus of the DF-1 cell line and mitochondria of primary cell lines derived from two native chicken breeds, Tibetan chicken and Shouguang chicken. Generally, Tibetan chicken primary cells showed a stronger metabolic capacity than Shouguang chicken primary cells. However, the Tibetan chicken cybrids had a dramatic drop in relative mtDNA copies and oxygen consumption. Higher rates of oxygen consumption (OCR) and expression levels of mitochondrial biogenesis and fusion genes were observed in Shouguang chicken cybrids, potentially reflecting that the mitochondrial DNA haplotype of Shouguang chicken had better coordination with the DF-1 nucleus than others. Meanwhile, mitonuclear incompatibility occurred in Tibetan chicken cybrids. The results demonstrate functional differences among mitochondrial DNA haplotypes and may shed light on the interaction between the mitochondria and nucleus in Gallus gallus domesticus.
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