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Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

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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Updated: Oct 1, 2025

MitoCeption: Transferring Isolated Human MSC Mitochondria to Glioblastoma Stem Cells

MitoCeption: Transferring Isolated Human MSC Mitochondria to Glioblastoma Stem Cells

Published on: February 22, 2017

Horizontal mtDNA transfer between cells is common during mouse development.

Nuria Marti Gutierrez¹, Aleksei Mikhalchenko¹, Hong Ma¹

¹Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA.

|March 4, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can transfer horizontally between unrelated cells, not just vertically. This discovery in mice suggests mtDNA transfer may help restore mitochondrial function and offers new avenues for gene therapy.

Keywords:

Cell biology Developmental biology Molecular biology

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Published on: July 24, 2013

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Genetics
Mitochondrial Biology

Background:

Cells typically pass their genomes to daughter cells vertically.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays a crucial role in cellular energy production.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the occurrence and extent of horizontal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) acquisition between unrelated cells.
To explore the potential compensatory role of horizontal mtDNA transfer in restoring mitochondrial function.

Main Methods:

Utilized single-cell sequencing on adult chimeric mice with distinct mtDNA haplotypes.
Analyzed various tissues and organs, including cardiomyocytes, neurons, glia, intestinal cells, and spleen cells.
Examined chimeras with wild-type and mutant mtDNA to assess transfer dynamics.

Main Results:

A significant proportion of individual cells across multiple tissues acquired donor mtDNA at high levels.
Observed increased transfer of wild-type mtDNA to mutant cells, indicating a potential compensatory mechanism.
Demonstrated substantial horizontal mtDNA transfer between non-parent-offspring cells.

Conclusions:

Horizontal mtDNA transfer is a significant biological phenomenon occurring between diverse cell types.
This transfer may serve as a compensatory mechanism for impaired mitochondrial function.
Findings provide a foundation for understanding mtDNA transfer mechanisms and developing gene therapies.