Cellular organelles called mitochondria contain their own DNA. The discovery that variation in mitochondrial DNA alters physiology and lifespan in mice has implications for evolutionary biology and the origins of disease. See Letter p.561
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
In silico prospecting of the mtDNA of Macrobrachium amazonicum from transcriptome data
BMC Genomics Open Access 10 November 2023
-
Mitochondria dysfunction impairs Tribolium castaneum wing development during metamorphosis
Communications Biology Open Access 15 November 2022
-
Single nucleotide polymorphism genes and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups as biomarkers for early prediction of knee osteoarthritis structural progressors: use of supervised machine learning classifiers
BMC Medicine Open Access 12 September 2022
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Notes
References
Latorre-Pellicer, A. et al. Nature 535, 561–565 (2016).
Yu, X. et al. Genome Res. 19, 159–165 (2009).
Feeley, K. P. et al. Cancer Res. 75, 4429–4436 (2015).
Wallace, D. C. Cell 163, 33–38 (2015).
Picard, M. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, E6614–E6623 (2015).
Picard, M. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, E4033–E4042 (2014).
Sharpley, M. S. et al. Cell 151, 333–343 (2012).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Related links
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wallace, D. Mitochondrial DNA in evolution and disease. Nature 535, 498–500 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18902
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18902
This article is cited by
-
In silico prospecting of the mtDNA of Macrobrachium amazonicum from transcriptome data
BMC Genomics (2023)
-
Single nucleotide polymorphism genes and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups as biomarkers for early prediction of knee osteoarthritis structural progressors: use of supervised machine learning classifiers
BMC Medicine (2022)
-
Mitochondrial DNA methylation profiling of the human prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens: correlations with aging and drug use
Clinical Epigenetics (2022)
-
Mitochondria dysfunction impairs Tribolium castaneum wing development during metamorphosis
Communications Biology (2022)
-
Environmental Chemical Exposures and Mitochondrial Dysfunction: a Review of Recent Literature
Current Environmental Health Reports (2022)
Chris Exley
In February 2015 I sent the below 'Correspondence' to Nature on the subject of 'mitochondrial transfer therapy'. It was not published.
I wonder if now all of our 'fertilised eggs including mitochondria transferred from a third party' are coming home to roost?
In recent debates upon mitochondrial transfer we are consistently informed by scientists and politicians alike that the only role of mitochondria in the development of a fertilised egg is as an energy supply. We are also informed that the contribution of the remainder of the fertilised egg to its subsequent development is inconsequential with respect to the expression of nuclear DNA in the eventual formation of the foetus.
As such we continue to expound the view that the characteristics of an individual are only the consequence of the nuclear DNA and that such is not influenced by the immediate environment of the nucleus. Is this the scientific consensus as this is the basis upon which the commons has decided to allow mitochondrial transfer as a 'therapy' for mitochondrial disease.
I do not believe that we are currently sufficiently well informed to accept this assumption and it is imperative that scientists make their views known on this important and immediately topical manner.