Heteroplasmy and Individual Mitogene Pools: Characteristics and Potential Roles in Ecological Studies

Overview

Journal Biology (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 Nov 24

PMID 37998051

Authors

Wenhui Wang

Lijun Lin

Qi Zhang

Jincheng Yang

Elizabeth Kamili

Jianing Chu

Xiaoda Li

Shuhui Yang

Yanchun Xu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome or mtDNA), the extrachromosomal genome, is a multicopy circular DNA with high mutation rates due to replication and repair errors. A mitochondrion, cell, tissue, organ, or an individual body may hold multiple variants, both inherited and developed over a lifetime, which make up individual mitogene pools. This phenomenon is also called mtDNA heteroplasmy. MtDNA variants influence cellular and tissular functions and are consequently subjected to selection. Although it has long been recognized that only inheritable germline heteroplasmies have evolutionary significance, non-inheritable somatic heteroplasmies have been overlooked since they directly affect individual fitness and thus indirectly affect the fate of heritable germline variants. This review focuses on the characteristics, dynamics, and functions of mtDNA heteroplasmy and proposes the concept of individual mitogene pools to discuss individual genetic diversity from multiple angles. We provide a unique perspective on the relationship between individual genetic diversity and heritable genetic diversity and guide how the individual mitogene pool with novel genetic markers can be applied to ecological research.

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