Mitochondrial Dna Research Paper

From what we gathered from our analysis of previous case studies, we have found that it is quite well known that the likelihood of recovering mtDNA in small or degraded biological samples (Just et al., 2004; Melton, Dimick, Higgins, Lindstrom, & Nelson. 2005) is greater than for nuclear DNA because mtDNA molecules are present in hundreds to thousands of copies per cell compared to the nuclear complement of two copies per cell. Therefore, muscle, bone, hair, skin, blood and other body fluids (Morley et al., 1999; Gilbert, Janaway, Tobin, Cooper, & Wilson, 2006), even if degraded by environmental impact or time, may provide enough material for profiling the mtDNA position.

Mitochondrion function is to produce energy from sugar. This is parallel to a restaurant inside a hospital. The employees eat (carbohydrates) from the hospital restaurant and then their bodies convert it to energy.

Each human being has something called DNA. DNA is described as genetics and an extremely long macromolecule that is the main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics in all life forms. DNA constructs of two nucleotide strands coiled around each other in a ladder like arrangement with the sidepieces composed of alternating phosphate and deoxyribose units and the rungs composed of the purine and pyrimidine bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Each chromosome consist of one continuous thread-like molecule of DNA coiled tightly around proteins and contains a portion of the 6,400,000,000 basepairs that make up your DNA.

Structure and function in Biology is a broad concept that can be explored within a diverse range of topics across the subject matter. The following essay will be focussed mainly on the subject of Deoxyribonucleic Acid, or more commonly DNA. DNA is a highly complex, intricate and extraordinary macromolecule found within all living cells. DNA is a "biochemical noun" and can be defined as "...a self-replicating material which is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information." [Oxford Dictionary, c2016] DNA is found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, enclosed within a double membrane. Eukaryotic cells are multifaceted and require a high level of regulation to ensure smooth functioning. The double membrane of the nucleus allows gene expression, a key function of DNA, to be efficiently regulated.

Mitochondria, dubbed the ‘powerhouse of the cell’, are a type of organelle present in most human cells. Their primary function is to generate Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the cell’s principal source of chemical energy. Unlike most other organelles, mitochondria store their own set of genetic material, distinct from the DNA situated in a cell’s nucleus. Although this ‘mitochondrial genome’ represents only 0.1% of a cell’s genetic information, it often plays a significant role in development.

DNA phenotyping serves to determine the physical attributes of a specific individual based off of genetic material that was left behind at a crime scene. By being able to determine physical traits such as hair color, eye color, height and skin pigmentation researchers can narrow in on the appearance of a person who committed a crime. This is crucial in forensic genetics who’s geneticists play a vital role in investigating crimes and in turn play a

The mitochondria is known as the “power house” of a cell that functions at the site of respiration. Within the inner membrane, ATP synthesis occurs which provides energy to the cell and it other parts. Without function of a mitochondria, a cell would die; it has no energy to repair itself, has no energy to transport molecules across the membrane, transport nutrients, send signals to other cells, or any other processes. Metabolism, release of energy, movement, or forming new nucleotides would not occur simply because energy is not available.

Until recent years, the mitochondrial genome, located in the mitochondrion, and the genetic information encoded by it have been given little attention. However, recently it became apparent that the mitochondrial genome, despite its small size, is crucial for the study of human evolution and disease, as mtDNA mutations lead to some serious diseases.

With new technology scientists have come up with a way to insert mitochondrial DNA of a healthy egg to one that is genetically damaged or impaired. “Scientists have also recently reported a method of extracting defective mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of cells, from a woman 's egg and replacing them with healthy mitochondria from a donor egg” (Ghose 2014). In 2015 there was the first reports of mitochondrial DNA transplant, “Three-parent babies” is a sensationalized term to describe a special form of in vitro fertilization, or I.V.F., that is better labeled mitochondrial transfer” (Malik 2015). This process is similar to in vitro fertilization where the child is created in the test tube, but is then fertilized egg injected with the healthy mitochondrial DNA (Malik 2015). The mitochondrial DNA is injected into the nucleus where the hope is that the healthy mitochondrial DNA will take over the unhealthy mitochondrial DNA (Malik 2015). This advancement in this process and medical technology is a large step for the medical field. Is this step for better or worse for the human population.

In humans, there are two locations the DNA comes from-- the nucleus and the mitochondria. The DNA from the mitochondria is called the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), this DNA has over 16,000 base pairs (bps) that can be used to view the the lineage of a person’s history. The mitochondrial DNA is a good source to analyze the history for 5 reasons, the first reason is the mitochondrial DNA is produced in a vast quantity resulting in few samples to be used, the next reason is the DNA has a higher rate of substitution or mutations; meaning it takes less work to correct differences between humans that are similar. The third reason is the mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother since the sperm is destroyed by the egg after fertilization, allowing viewing a direct genetic line. Finally, the mitochondrial

“The world’s first baby to be born from a new procedure that combines the DNA of three people appears...” The online article “DNA of Three People” discusses a procedure and case study of a mitochondrial transfer in Mexico. A young woman carries the genes for the fatal Leigh syndrome and is unable to have healthy children. After having three miscarriages and losing three children, due to the syndrome, she finally reached out to Dr. John Zhang.

This mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to adolescent. In rare cases, females have mitochondrial defects can pass it down to their offspring, causing devastating difficulties or in the most extreme cases death. Mitochondrial transference can supersede such imperfect mitochondrial DNA with that from a donor, allowing affected mothers to eschew passing these defects on to their children, who then carry genetic material from three parents who are the father and two mothers, including the

Sedna is a Trans-Neptunian object on the outer reaches of the solar system. It is the largest known object that reaches the outer reaches of the solar system, most other objects with an orbit this far from the sun are minor comets and other very small objects. Sedna is bigger than Pluto’s biggest moon Charon and several other dwarf planets and moons. Sedna is believed to have been formed much closer to the Sun, but was then thrown out by a larger body or planet at high speed and was ejected into a very long orbit. Many believe it to be impossible that Sedna formed in its current orbit.

Mitochondrion is an importance structure that lies in the cytoplasm area. Mitochondrion is the plural word for mitochondria, which is the key organelle that converts energy from one form to another. Mitochondria changes the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use. The mitochondrion contains two special membranes. The outer membrane surrounds the organelle, and the inner membrane has many folds that increase the surface area of the mitochondrion.

DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid, which is found in almost all living things. DNA serves as a code for the creation and maintenance of new cells within an organism. Within humans, it is found in almost every cell. Although most of our DNA is found within the nucleus of our cells as nuclear DNA, a very small amount of our DNA is also found within the mitochondria as mitochondrial DNA. Because mitochondrial DNA is generally not used for solving crimes, for the purpose of this paper it will be disregarded.