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Diverging patterns of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA diversity in subarctic black spruce: imprint of a founder effect associated with postglacial colonization.

High-latitude ecotonal populations at the species margins may exhibit altered patterns of genetic diversity, resulting from more or less recent founder events and from bottleneck effects in response to climate oscillations. Patterns of genetic diversity were investigated in nine populations of the conifer black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP.) in northwestern Québec, Canada, using seed-dispersed mitochondrial (mt) DNA and nuclear (nc) DNA. mtDNA diversity (mitotypes) was assessed at three loci, and ncDNA diversity was estimated for nine expressed sequence tag polymorphism (ESTP) loci. Sampling included populations from the boreal forest and the southern and northern subzones of the subarctic forest-tundra, a fire-born ecotone. For ncDNA, populations from all three vegetation zones were highly diverse with little population differentiation (thetaN = 0.014); even the northernmost populations showed no loss of rare alleles. Patterns of mitotype diversity were strikingly different: within-population diversity and population differentiation were high for boreal forest populations [expected heterozygosity per locus (HE) = 0.58 and thetaM = 0.529], but all subarctic populations were fixed for a single mitotype (HE = 0). This lack of variation suggests a founder event caused by long-distance seed establishment during postglacial colonization, consistent with palaeoecological data. The estimated movement of seeds alone (effective number of migrants per generation, NmM < 2) was much restricted compared to that estimated from nuclear variants, which including pollen movement (NmN > 17). This could account for the conservation of a founder imprint in the mtDNA of subarctic black spruce. After reduction, presumably in the early Holocene, the diversity in ncDNA would have been replenished rapidly by pollen-mediated gene flow, and maintained subsequently through vegetative layering during the current cooler period covering the last 3000 years.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗

Analysis of a polycytosine tract and heteroplasmic length variation in the mitochondrial DNA D-loop of patients with diabetes, MELAS syndrome and race-matched controls.

AIM: The T to C substitution at position 16189 nt of the human mitochondrial genome has been associated with the development of heteroplasmic length variation in the control region of mtDNA. Previous reports have suggested that this defect may be associated with the development of other pathogenic mtDNA mutations, including the diabetogenic A to G mutation in the tRNALEU(UUR). Recently the 16189 nt variant has also been associated with insulin resistance in British adult men. In order to investigate these associations further we studied 23 patients with the 3243 nt mutation, 150 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 149 non-diabetic controls. METHODS: The region around 16189 nt was investigated by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and automated sequencing. RESULTS: We find that the T to C substitution at 16189 nt is associated with heteroplasmic length variation only when the resultant polycytosine tract is not interrupted by a second mutation. There are no significant differences in the prevalence of the 16189 nt variant or heteroplasmic length variation between patients with the 3243 nt mutation, patients with Type 2 diabetes or race-matched normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that these variants are likely to represent normal polymorphisms and that previously reported associations should be treated with caution unless they can be replicated in other populations.

Adult↗

Nonneutral evolution and differential mutation rate of gender-associated mitochondrial DNA lineages in the marine mussel Mytilus.

Mussels have two types of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The M type is transmitted paternally, and the F type is transmitted maternally. To test hypotheses of the molecular evolution of both mtDNA genomes, 50 nucleotide sequences were obtained for 396 bp of the COIII gene of European populations of Mytilus edulis and the Atlantic and Mediterranean forms of M. galloprovincialis. Analysis based on the proportion of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions indicate that mtDNA is evolving in a non-neutral and complex fashion. Previous studies on American mussels demonstrated that the F genome experiences a higher purifying selection and that the M genome evolves faster. Here we show that these patterns also hold in European populations. However, in contrast to American populations, where an excess of replacement substitution between F and M lineages has been reported, a significant excess of replacement polymorphism within mtDNA lineages is observed in European populations of M. galloprovincialis. European populations also show an excess of replacement polymorphism within the F but not within the M genome with respect to American M. trossulus, as well as a consistent pattern of excess of rare variants in both F and M genomes. These results are consistent with a nearly neutral model of molecular evolution and a recent relaxation of selective constraints on European mtDNA. Levels of diversity are significantly higher for the M than F genome, and the M genome also accumulates synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions at a higher rate, in contrast with earlier reports where no difference for the synonymous rate was observed. It is suggested that a subtle balance between relaxed selection and a higher mutation rate explains the faster evolutionary rate of the M lineage.

Animals↗

Sequence analysis of the diabetes-protective human leukocyte antigen-DQB1*0602 allele in unaffected, islet cell antibody-positive first degree relatives and in rare patients with type 1 diabetes.

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQA1*0102/DQB1*0602/DRB1*1501 (DR2) haplotype confers strong protection from type 1 diabetes. Growing evidence suggests that such protection may be mostly encoded by the DQB1*0602 allele, and we reported that even first degree relatives with islet cell antibodies (ICA) have an extremely low diabetes risk if they carry DQB1*0602. Recently, novel variants of the DQB1*0602 and *0603 alleles were reported in four patients with type 1 diabetes originally typed as DQB1*0602 with conventional techniques. One inference from this observation is that DQB1*0602 may confer absolute protection and may never occur in type 1 diabetes. By this hypothesis, all patients typed as DQB1*0602 positive with conventional techniques should carry one of the above diabetes-permissive variants instead of the protective DQB1*0602. Such variants could also occur in ICA/DQB1*0602-positive relatives, with the implication that their diabetes risk could be significantly higher than previously estimated. We therefore sequenced the DQB1*0602 and DQA1*0102 alleles in all ICA/DQB1*0602-positive relatives (n = 8) previously described and in six rare patients with type 1 diabetes and DQB1*0602. We found that all relatives and patients carry the known DQB1*0602 and DQA1*0102 sequences, and none of them has the mtDNA A3243G mutation associated with late-onset diabetes in ICA-positive individuals. These findings suggest that diabetes-permissive DQB1*0602/3 variants may be very rare. Thus, although the protective effect associated with DQB1*0602 is extremely powerful, it is not absolute. Nonetheless, the development of diabetes in individuals with DQB1*0602 remains extremely unlikely, even in the presence of ICA, as confirmed by our further evaluation of ICA/DQB1*0602-positive relatives, none of whom has yet developed diabetes.

Adult↗

Point mutations in mitochondrial DNA of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Mitochondrial (mt) DNA mutations are hypothesized to be involved in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy, because the mtDNA encodes 13 polypeptides that are essential for oxidative phosphorylation, upon which the heart relies for energy. To test this hypothesis, we amplified the mitochondrial genome by long PCR and then used restriction analysis and direct sequencing to examine 58 unrelated patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and 49 controls for the detection of point mutations. The results demonstrated that point mutations were significantly more frequent in the mtDNA of patients than in that of controls (173 in 58 patients v 54 in 49 controls, 2=16.51, P<0.001). In addition to normal variants and mutations common to both patients and controls, 43 mutations were identified only in patients. All but four of these mutations were homoplasmic. Mutations involving the evolutionarily conserved residues of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, NADH dehydrogenase 5, tRNAAla and tRNAArg were identified. As many as 13 point mutations were found in an 8-month-old patient. In conclusion, there exist significantly more point mutations in mtDNA of patients than in controls, suggesting that multiple mutations may exert a cumulative effect on heart function. Thus, by altering the function of respiratory enzyme subunits or tRNAs, mtDNA point mutations could be relevant for the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Adult↗

[Restriction types of main noncoding segments of mitochondrial DNA in aboriginal and migrant inhabitants of Northeast Asia].

An analysis of data on the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the 16,081-16,545-bp locus of the major noncoding region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in samples of Asian Eskimos and coastal Chukchi of Chukotka and Slavs from Magadan is presented. By means of analysis of combinations of restriction pattern variants, the mitotypical structure of the studied population groups of the northeastern region of Russia was studied. A notable difference in mitotypical diversity was found: twelve types of the non-coding region were observed in Slvas (h = 0.916) and only two identical types each were found in Eskimos (h = 0.1) and Chukchi (h = 0.356). The results are compared with literature data on mtDNA polymorphism in various world populations. Possible reasons for the observed differences in mitotypical diversity in population groups of Northeast Asia differing in ethnic origin are discussed.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗

Variant forms of mitochondrial translation products in yeast: evidence for location of determinants on mitochondrial DNA.

Products of mitochondrial protein synthesis in yeast have been labeled in vivo with 35SO42-. More than 20 polypeptide species fulfilling the criteria of mitochondrial translation products have been detected by analysis on sodium dodecyl sulfate-exponential polyacrylamide slab gels. A comparison of mitochondrial translation products in two wild-type strains has revealed variant forms of some polypeptide species which show genetic behavior consistent with the location of their structural genes on mtDNA. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of performing genetic analysis on putative gene products of mtDNA in wild-type yeast by direct examination of the segregation and recombination behavior of specific polypeptide species.

Chloramphenicol↗

[Somatic mutations of mitochondrial DNA in thyroid papillary carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the somatic mutations in the D-loop of mtDNA and further evaluate the possibility of mitochondrial genetic instability in thyroid papillary carcinoma. METHODS: Hypervariable regions ( HVR-I and HVR-II) in the D-loop of mtDNA from the specimen of 35 thyroid papillary cancers and matched lymphocytes were amplified by PCR, and then were sequenced. RESULTS: Comparing the sequences of tumors to those of matched lymphocytes and normal thyroid tissues, 5 somatic mutations in 2 patients (5.7%) were found. Two mutations were insertions of C in a poly-cytidine (nt303) microsatellite, and 3 at positions 73, 152 and 194 in HVR-II. In addition, of the 294 genetic variants detected, 292 were previously recorded polymorphisms, whereas 2 were new polymorphisms (nt324:C-->G, nt16092:T-->A). CONCLUSIONS: Mutations in the D-loop of mtDNA were found in thyroid papillary cancers, this mutation rate was lower than the reported rate of alteration in tumors of epithelial origin, and further work is required to elucidate the relationship between this mutations and the development of thyroid papillary carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma, Papillary↗

The carboxyl-terminal extension on fungal mitochondrial DNA polymerases: identification of a critical region of the enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Fungal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymerases, in comparison to their metazoan counterparts, harbour unique carboxyl-terminal extensions (CTEs) of varying lengths and unknown function. To determine the essential regions of the 279 residue CTE of the yeast enzyme (Mip1p), several CTE-truncation variants were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The respiratory competence of mip1delta175 cells, in which Mip1p lacks the C-terminal 175 residues, is indistinguishable from that of wild-type. In contrast, strains harbouring Mip1pdelta351 and Mip1pdelta279 rapidly lose mtDNA. Approximately one in six mip1delta216 transformants grew on glycerol, albeit poorly. Fluorescence microscopy and Southern blot analysis revealed lower levels of mtDNA in these cells, and the rapid loss of mtDNA during fermentative, but not respiratory, growth. Therefore, only the polymerase-proximal segment of the Mip1p CTE is necessary for mitochondrial function. Comparison of this essential segment with the sequences of other fungal mtDNA polymerases revealed novel features shared among the mtDNA polymerases of the Saccharomycetales.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homopolymeric tract heteroplasmy in mtDNA from tissues and single oocytes: support for a genetic bottleneck.

While mtDNA polymorphisms at single base positions are common, the overwhelming majority of the mitochondrial genomes within a single individual are usually identical. When there is a point-mutation difference between a mother and her offspring, there may be a complete switching of mtDNA type within a single generation. It is generally assumed that there is a genetic bottleneck whereby a single or small number of founder mtDNA(s) populate the organism, but it is not known at which stages the restriction/amplification of mtDNA subtype(s) occur, and this uncertainty impedes antenatal diagnosis for mtDNA disorders. Length polymorphisms in homopolymeric tracts have been demonstrated in the large noncoding region of mtDNA. We have developed a new method, T-PCR (trimmed PCR), to quantitate heteroplasmy for two of these tracts (D310 and D16189). D310 variation is sufficient to indicate clonal origins of tissues and single oocytes. Tissues from normal individuals often possessed more than one length variant (heteroplasmy). However, there was no difference in the pattern of the length variants between somatic tissues in any control individual when bulk samples were taken. Oocytes from normal women undergoing in vitro fertilization were frequently heteroplasmic for length variants, and in two cases the modal length of the D310 tract differed in individual oocytes from the same woman. These data suggest that a restriction/amplification event, which we attribute to clonal expansion of founder mtDNA(s), has occurred by the time oocytes are mature, although further segregation may occur at a later stage. In contrast to controls, the length distribution of the D310 tract varied between tissues in a patient with heteroplasmic mtDNA rearrangements, suggesting that these mutants influence segregation. These findings have important implications for the genetic counselling of patients with pathogenic mtDNA mutations.

Animals↗

A novel mtDNA ND6 gene mutation associated with LHON in a Caucasian family.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a frequent cause of inherited blindness. A routine screening for common mtDNA mutations constitutes an important first in its diagnosis. However, a substantial number of LHON patients do not harbor known variants, both pointing to the genetic heterogeneity of LHON and bringing into question its genetic diagnosis. We report a familial case that exhibited typical features of LHON but lacked any of the common mutations. Genetic analysis revealed a novel pathogenic defect in the ND6 gene at 14279A that was not detected in any haplogroup-matched controls screened for it, nor has it been previously reported. This mutation causes a substantial conformational change in the secondary structure of the polypeptide matrix coil and may explain the LHON expression. Thus, it expands the spectrum of deleterious changes affecting ND6-encoding subunit and further highlights the functional significance of this gene, providing additional clues to the disease pathogenesis.

Adolescent↗

Mitochondrial DNA insertion polymorphism and germ line heteroplasmy in the Triturus cristatus complex.

Restriction enzyme analysis of mitochondrial (mt) DNA isolated from oocytes of 185 individuals of the T. cristatus complex collected from 10 European countries has demonstrated that large length variation (greater than 40 bp) is a common feature of the group. Insertion polymorphism was found both within and among populations, and in all cases maps to the control region of the molecule. In addition, 2 individuals from Pisa, (Italy) were each found to be heteroplasmic for 2 large insertions comprising tandem repeats of 1100 bp of the control region. Large-scale length variation has been described in a few other lower vertebrates, but some of the insertion variants within populations described here are of unprecedented size (up to 8500 bp). This is in dramatic contrast to mammalian mtDNA in which size variation is largely restricted to small (less than 15 bp) insertions and deletions.

Animals↗

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism reveals hidden heterogeneity within some Asian populations.

Use of data on mtDNA morph distributions from six Asian populations has shown that the observed number of different mtDNA morphs is too large when compared with the number expected on the basis of the observed gene diversity in the mtDNA genome. This excess number of morphs mainly occurs through an excess of rare morphs, and this discrepancy is more pronounced in a pooled sample of five Asian populations. It is suggested that this discrepancy is probably due to internal heterogeneity in each of the anthropologically defined populations. This analysis demonstrates the utility that population data for a single locus, such as the mtDNA genome, have for detecting hidden heterogeneity in populations, provided that the locus has substantial genetic variability, so that many variant alleles can be detected.

Asia↗

Origin and evolution of homologous repeated sequences in the mitochondrial DNA control region of shrews.

The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region was amplified and directly sequenced in two species of shrew, Crocidura russula and Sorex araneus (Insectivora, Mammalia). The general organization is similar to that found in other mammals: a central conserved region surrounded by two more variable domains. However, we have found in shrews the simultaneous presence of arrays of tandem repeats in potential locations where repeats tend to occur separately in other mammalian species. These locations correspond to regions which are associated with a possible interruption of the replication processes, either at the end of the three-stranded D-loop structure or toward the end of the heavy-strand replication. In the left domain the repeated sequences (R1 repeats) are 78 bp long, whereas in the right domain the repeats are 12 bp long in C. russula and 14 bp long in S. araneus (R2 repeats). Variation in the copy number of these repeated sequences results in mtDNA control region length differences. Southern blot analysis indicates that level of heteroplasmy (more than one mtDNA form within an individual) differs between species. A comparative study of the R2 repeats in 12 additional species representing three shrew subfamilies provides useful indications for the understanding of the origin and the evolution of these homologous tandemly repeated sequences. An asymmetry in the distribution of variants within the arrays, as well as the constant occurrence of shorter repeated sequences flanking only one side of the R2 arrays, could be related to asymmetry in the replication of each strand of the mtDNA molecule. The pattern of sequence and length variation within and between species, together with the capability of the arrays to form stable secondary structures, suggests that the dominant mechanism involved in the evolution of these arrays in unidirectional replication slippage.

Animals↗

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in Italy. II. Molecular analysis of new and rare morphs from Sardinia and Rome.

A molecular analysis of morphs found in a previous survey of mtDNA restriction enzyme polymorphisms in Italy revealed that different site changes can give similar patterns and that the same mutation can yield variant morphs for apparently unrelated enzymes. 1. Alternative site variations were found to yield restriction fragment patterns resembling HpaI morph 4, HaeII morph 5 and AvaII morph 2. 2. A strong association was observed between the BamHI morph 3 (gain of site a) and the AvaII morph 9 and its derivatives (loss of site d). This association appears to result from an A to G transition at base pair (bp) 13,368 which simultaneously creates a new BamHI site and abolishes an AvaII site. On the other hand, the loss of the AvaII site d, which in Italy was only found in the above-mentioned association, does not always produce a new BamHI site, as observed in other Caucasian groups. Similarly, the BamHI morph 2 (gain of site b) was always found to be associated with AvaII morphs lacking site f. An A to G transition at bp 16,391 was shown to account for both changes. As in the previous case, the converse is not true. Hence, these data show that AvaII sites d and f were lost in more than one way and one of these seems to be typical of Caucasians. 3. The variation producing BamHI-3/AvaII-9 and derivatives is preferentially associated with MspI morph 4 but this is not a product of a shared mutation. Hence, this association must be the result of the linkage disequilibrium due to the maternal inheritance of mtDNA and lack of recombination. 4. The high frequency of the combination BamHI-3/AvaII-9 and derivatives with MspI-4 found in Italy (29 subjects out of 229 analysed) can best be explained by diffusion of the relevant haplotype rather than by repeated mutational events. 5. The phylogeny trees of all mtDNA morphs so far described and of mtDNA types in Caucasians have been revised taking into account both the inter- and the intra-morph heterogeneity detected by this analysis.

Child↗

[Heteroplasmy in human mtDNA control region].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the length heteroplasmy and point heteroplasmy in human mtDNA control region. METHODS: The peripheral blood, buccal cell, and single hair shaft from 50 individuals and 16 family members, related in their maternallineage were analyzed by direct sequencing, and clones from 20 individuals whose mtDNA sequences have a T-C transition at 16189 nt were sequenced. RESULTS: No point heteroplasmy were observed in peripheral blood, buccal cell, single hair shaft from the same individual, neither in maternally related individuals. Length heteroplasmy was observed in those individuals with a homopolymeric tract and the different clones from the same individual has different proportions of length variants, but the hair shafts from the same individual were very similar to the measurements made from blood DNA. No length heteroplasmy was observed between different tissues from the same individual. CONCLUSION: mtDNA sequences have a characteristic of high consistency and genetic stability, mtDNA sequencing is a suitable tool for forensic applications such as individual identification.

Base Sequence↗

Primary Mitochondrial-Disorders-Associated Nephropathy in Adulthood.

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is the main source of cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and depends on proteins encoded by both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (nDNA). Pathogenic variants affecting this dual genetic control cause primary mitochondrial disorders (MIDs), which follow either maternal inheritance when they affect mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or autosomal inheritance when they affect nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins. Once considered predominantly pediatric conditions, these disorders are increasingly recognized in adults where their clinical presentation is heterogeneous and frequently underdiagnosed, requiring the involvement of various medical specialties.Because of their high energy requirements, kidneys are particularly vulnerable to primary MIDs. Tubular epithelial cells rely on OXPHOS for solute transport, whereas podocytes require sustained ATP production to preserve the glomerular filtration barrier. Although kidney involvement in adult primary MIDs has long been regarded as rare, emerging data indicate that primary MIDs-associated nephropathy (MIDAN) is more common than previously appreciated, yet remains under-recognized, as a cause of adult kidney disease. Renal manifestations include a broad spectrum of glomerular disorders-predominantly focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), often associated with diabetes mellitus and sensorineural hearing impairment-as well as tubulo-interstitial nephritis (TIN), which may present as an isolated renal phenotype or as part of a multisystemic disorder.Advances in next-generation sequencing, including mitochondrial genome sequencing and exome or whole-genome sequencing, are transforming the diagnostic approach to MIDAN. Improved recognition of mitochondrial etiologies in adults with unexplained glomerular or tubulo-interstitial kidney disease is essential to optimize diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling.

adult↗

Mitochondrial DNA in the bark weevils: size, structure and heteroplasmy.

Mitochondrial DNA of higher animals has been described as an example of extreme efficiency in genome structure and function. Where exceptionally large size molecules have been found (greater than 20 kb), most have occurred as rare variants within a species, suggesting that these variants arise infrequently and do not persist for long periods in evolutionary time. In contrast, all individuals of at least three species of bark weevil (Curculionidae: Pissodes) possess a mitochondrial genome of unusually large size (30-36 kb). The molecule owes its large size to a dramatically enlarged A + T-rich region (9-13 kb). Gene content and order outside of this region appear to be identical to that found in Drosophila. A series of 0.8-2.0-kb repeated sequences occur adjacent to the large A + T rich region and have perhaps played a role in the generation of the large size as well as an unprecedented frequency of size variant heteroplasmy. Every weevil sampled in all three species (n = 219) exhibits anywhere from two to five distinct size classes of mtDNA. The persistence of this large amount of size polymorphism through two speciation events combined with the abundant size variation within individuals suggests that these molecules may not be subject to strong selection for small overall size and efficiency of replication. This pattern of variation contrasts strongly with the conservation of gene content and arrangement in the coding region of the molecule.

Animals↗