Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Mismatch Repair01:20

Mismatch Repair

5.0K
Organisms are capable of detecting and fixing nucleotide mismatches that occur during DNA replication. This sophisticated process requires identifying the new strand and replacing the erroneous bases with correct nucleotides. Mismatch repair is coordinated by many proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
5.0K
Mutations in Microorganisms01:18

Mutations in Microorganisms

37
Mutations are heritable changes in an organism’s genome involving alterations in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. These changes can influence cellular processes and phenotypic traits, potentially transforming the unaltered wild type into a mutant form. Such changes, termed forward mutations, are pivotal in shaping the genetic diversity of organisms.RNA viruses exhibit the highest mutation rates due to the absence of robust proofreading mechanisms during genome replication. In contrast,...
37
Mutations01:35

Mutations

38.4K
Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
38.4K
Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

32.7K
A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
32.7K
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations01:30

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

59
Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).
59
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

7.2K
The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
7.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Integrated evaluation of antibody responses to mosquitoes and mosquito-borne pathogens using highly multiplexed serology.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Somatic mtDNA mutations at intermediate levels of heteroplasmy are a source of functional heterogeneity among primary leukemic cells.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Rethinking large-scale phylogenomics with EukPhylo v.1.0, a flexible toolkit to enable phylogeny-informed data curation and analyses of diverse eukaryotic lineages.

mBio·2025
Same author

Phylogeny and species delimitation of ciliates in the genus Spirostomum (class Heterotrichea) using single-cell transcriptomes.

BMC ecology and evolution·2025
Same author

Deciphering the Foundations of Mitochondrial Mutational Spectra: Replication-Driven and Damage-Induced Signatures Across Chordate Classes.

Molecular biology and evolution·2025
Same author

Correction: Somatic genome architecture and molecular evolution are decoupled in "young" linage-specific gene families in ciliates.

PloS one·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms
08:46

Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms

Published on: December 9, 2015

10.7K

Are some mutations more equal than others?

Auden Cote-L'Heureux1, Yogesh N K Maithania1, Melissa Franco1

  • 1Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, United States.

Elife
|April 19, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Mitochondrial DNA mutations typically increase with age. However, a large study identified specific mutations that surprisingly do not accumulate over time, offering new insights into aging processes.

Keywords:
agingduplex sequencinggeneticsgenomicsmitochondrial DNAmousesomatic mutations

More Related Videos

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53
14:57

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

Published on: August 4, 2019

9.6K
Comparative Lesions Analysis Through a Targeted Sequencing Approach
08:16

Comparative Lesions Analysis Through a Targeted Sequencing Approach

Published on: November 5, 2019

6.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms
08:46

Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms

Published on: December 9, 2015

10.7K
Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53
14:57

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

Published on: August 4, 2019

9.6K
Comparative Lesions Analysis Through a Targeted Sequencing Approach
08:16

Comparative Lesions Analysis Through a Targeted Sequencing Approach

Published on: November 5, 2019

6.8K

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Aging Research

Background:

  • Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is crucial for cellular energy production.
  • Accumulation of mtDNA mutations is a hallmark of aging.
  • Previous studies focused on age-dependent mutation accumulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the patterns of mtDNA mutation accumulation across the human lifespan.
  • To identify specific mtDNA mutations that deviate from typical age-related accumulation.
  • To understand the underlying mechanisms for stable mtDNA mutation frequencies.

Main Methods:

  • Large-scale sequencing of mitochondrial DNA from diverse human cohorts.
  • Bioinformatic analysis to identify and quantify mtDNA mutations.
  • Statistical modeling to assess mutation accumulation rates with age.

Main Results:

  • A significant subset of mtDNA mutations were identified that do not increase with age.
  • These stable mutations showed distinct patterns compared to age-accumulating mutations.
  • Analysis suggests potential selective pressures or repair mechanisms for these stable mutations.

Conclusions:

  • Not all mitochondrial DNA mutations are subject to age-dependent accumulation.
  • The discovery of stable mtDNA mutations challenges existing models of aging.
  • Further research into these stable mutations may reveal novel therapeutic targets for age-related diseases.