Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Measuring Single-Cell Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Heteroplasmy Using Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction
09:15

Measuring Single-Cell Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Heteroplasmy Using Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction

Published on: July 12, 2022

5.4K

Cord Blood Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Physical Growth in Infancy and Toddlerhood: A Birth Cohort Analysis

Hisanori Fukunaga1,2, Takeshi Yamaguchi2, Hiroyoshi Iwata2

  • 1Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N12 W5 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Cord blood mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) did not correlate with infant growth up to 48 months. This study suggests mtDNAcn may not be a reliable biomarker for early childhood physical development.

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics and Developmental Biology
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Mitochondrial Genomics

Background:

  • Cord blood mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) is a potential biomarker for fetal environmental exposures.
  • Previous studies linked mtDNAcn to perinatal outcomes like birth weight and length.
  • The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory posits early life influences on later health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between cord blood mtDNAcn and postnatal physical growth in early childhood.
  • To explore mtDNAcn as a biomarker for child development within the DOHaD framework.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 150 newborns from the Tohoku Medical Megabank Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study.
  • Quantification of cord blood mtDNAcn using real-time PCR.
  • Assessment of weight and height standard deviation scores at multiple postnatal time points up to 48 months, with sex-specific correlation analyses.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations were found between cord blood mtDNAcn and infant body weight or height up to 48 months of age.
  • Infant growth trajectories tended to converge towards the population mean, irrespective of initial mtDNAcn levels.
  • Sex-specific analyses did not reveal significant correlations.

Conclusions:

  • Cord blood mtDNAcn did not demonstrate a significant relationship with physical growth in early childhood.
  • This exploratory study provides a basis for future research but requires larger cohorts and longer follow-up.
  • Further investigation is needed to determine the role of mtDNAcn in child growth and health.

Keywords:
DNA copy number variationDOHaDcord bloodmitochondrial DNAphysical growth

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Transmitochondrial Cybrid Generation Using Cancer Cell Lines07:49

Author Spotlight: Transmitochondrial Cybrid Generation Using Cancer Cell Lines

Published on: March 17, 2023

3.1K
Flow Cytometric Analysis of Multiple Mitochondrial Parameters in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Neural and Glial Derivatives06:09

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Multiple Mitochondrial Parameters in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Neural and Glial Derivatives

Published on: November 8, 2021

5.0K

Related Concept Videos

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics02:59

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...
9.0K
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
22.2K
Mitochondria01:37

Mitochondria

Mitochondria are eukaryotic cellular organelles that are known to produce energy through a process called oxidative phosphorylation. Besides their primary function, mitochondria are involved in various cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation, signaling, metabolism, and senescence. Age-related changes cause a decline in mitochondrial quality and integrity due to increased mitochondrial mutations and oxidative damage. Thus, aging can severely impact mitochondrial functions,...
19.5K
Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs02:26

Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs

Sequencing of the human genome has opened up several best-kept secrets of the genome. Scientists have identified thousands of genome variations that exist within a population. These variations can be a single nucleotide or a larger chromosomal variation.
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
18.6K
Non-nuclear Inheritance01:29

Non-nuclear Inheritance

Most DNA resides in the nucleus of a cell. However, some organelles in the cell cytoplasm⁠—such as chloroplasts and mitochondria⁠—also have their own DNA. These organelles replicate their DNA independently of the nuclear DNA of the cell in which they reside. Non-nuclear inheritance describes the inheritance of genes from structures other than the nucleus.
23.0K
Mitochondrial Membranes01:45

Mitochondrial Membranes

A single mitochondrion is a bean-shaped organelle enclosed by a double-membrane system. The outer membrane of mitochondria is smooth and contains many porins - the integral membrane transporters. Porins enable free diffusion of ions and small uncharged molecules through the outer mitochondrial membrane but limit the transport of molecules larger than 5000 Daltons. Further, the outer mitochondrial membrane forms a unique structure called membrane contact sites with other subcellular organelles,...
16.6K