Mitochondrial Dna Research Paper

Introduction: Through the second portion of the semester, we used the same DNA that we extracted from our cheek cells to amplify and analyze a region from our mitochondrial DNA instead of nuclear DNA. The DNA was amplified through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and then run on a 2% agaraose gel. The locus we looked at was the D Loop, a noncoding region that is the origin of replication for mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother, so our mitochondrial DNA is identical to our mothers. Mitochondrial DNA does not experience recombination but can experience mutations when replicating.

The mitochondria is an organelle of a cell. It works as it was the digestive system, it’s in charge of obtaining the nutrients, then break them down, and finally, all that work is for maintaining the cell full of energy, so they would be as the power plants of the cell. The mitochondria are in charge of creating 90% of the energy that our bodies need so it can sustain life and support our growth. The mitochondria are small organelles that floats all through the cell. Some cells have many, lots of mitochondria, but others just have none; for example, the muscle cells need a lot of energy, so they contain lots of mitochondria, otherwise, neurons don’t need as much. Depending of the quantity of energy that the cell needs, mitochondria could be created.

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.

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.

DNA is important to organisms because DNA carries hereditary information on to the next generation of cells during the process of replication. This is important for the health of an organism because when a cell divides because it becomes too large; it needs a copy of the genetic information in order to fulfill necessary processes in order to keep the organism alive.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.