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Genes and Genomics
Published in Firdos Alam Khan, Biotechnology Fundamentals, 2020
Mitochondria are self-replicating organelles that occur in various numbers, shapes, and sizes in the cytoplasm of all eukaryotic cells. Mitochondria play a critical role in generating energy in the eukaryotic cell. Mitochondria generate the cell’s energy by the process of oxidative phosphorylation, utilizing oxygen to release energy stored in cellular nutrients (typically pertaining to glucose) to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondria multiply by splitting in two. In plant cells, organelles that are modified chloroplasts are broadly called plastids and are involved in energy storage through the process of photosynthesis, which utilizes solar energy to generate carbohydrates and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water. Mitochondria and chloroplasts each contain their own genome, which is separate and distinct from the nuclear genome of a cell. Both organelles contain this DNA in circular plasmids, much like prokaryotic cells. Since these organelles contain their own genomes and have other similarities to prokaryotes, they are thought to have developed through a symbiotic relationship after being engulfed by a primitive cell.
Developing mitochondrial DNA field-compatible tests
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Bidhan C. Dhar, Christina E. Roche, Jay F. Levine
Mitochondria have evolutionary genetic materials independent of the host nuclear genome. The mtDNA of a cell was acquired from the circular genomes of bacteria (Johnston & Williams, 2016). Early predecessors of present-day eukaryotic cells passively engulfed these circular DNA structures, which helped to reduce energy costs per gene. Despite the nuclear genome and the mitochondrial genome containing double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and encoding genes, there are significant differences between nuclear DNA and mtDNA (Taylor & Turnbull, 2005; Table 1).