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Updated: Jun 24, 2025

Measuring Single-Cell Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Heteroplasmy Using Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction
Published on: July 12, 2022
Ribosomal DNA copy number is associated with body mass in humans and other mammals
Pui Pik Law1,2, Liudmila A Mikheeva1, Francisco Rodriguez-Algarra2
1Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
Body mass results from a complex interplay between genetics and environment. Previous studies of the genetic contribution to body mass have excluded repetitive regions due to the technical limitations of platforms used for population scale studies. Here we apply genome-wide approaches, identifying an association between adult body mass and the copy number (CN) of 47S-ribosomal DNA (rDNA). rDNA codes for the 18 S, 5.8 S and 28 S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) components of the ribosome. In mammals, there are hundreds of copies of these genes. Inter-individual variation in the rDNA CN has not previously been associated with a mammalian phenotype. Here, we show that rDNA CN variation associates with post-pubertal growth rate in rats and body mass index in adult humans. rDNA CN is not associated with rRNA transcription rates in adult tissues, suggesting the mechanistic link occurs earlier in development. This aligns with the observation that the association emerges by early adulthood.
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