Mitochondrial DNA Inheritance
Steve Scadding
scadding at uoguelph.ca
Tue Apr 2 09:26:54 EST 1996
Most of the literature I have read implies that mitochondrial DNA is
inherited solely through the female line and is passed on via
mitochondria in the egg. However, I recall having seen photographs which
seem to show sperm mitochondria entering the egg. This raises a lot of
questions in my mind.
a) Is there clear evidence that sperm mitochondria do enter the egg?
b) If so, what is the fate of these mitochondria? Are they destroyed by
the egg cell or do they survive and contribute to the mitochondrial
complement of the zygote?
c) Is the maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA simply a dilution
phenomenon? I.e., the quantity of paternal mitochondrial DNA may be so
small as to be undetectable.
I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could point me to recent reviews
of this area or other literature bearing on these question.
Thanks very much.
..Steve Scadding
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