Research report 2012 - Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing
Shedding light on heredity processes of mitochondrial mutations
Authors
Freyer, Christoph; Cree, Lynsey M.; Mourier, Arnaud; Stewart, James B.; Koolmeister, Camilla; Milenkovic, Dusanka; Wai, Timothy; Hagström, Erik; Chatzidaki, Emmanouella E.; Wiesner, Rudolph; Samuels, David C.; Larsson, Nils-Göran; Chinnery, Patrick F.
Departments
Abteilung Mitochondriale Biologie
Summary
Malfunctioning mitochondria can lead to metabolic disorders in the person affected, since mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can cause muscle weakness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiac disorders as well as diabetes, and are also linked to the ageing process. In the study presented here, researchers of the Department for Mitochondrial Biology show that intra-familiar differences in the degree of mutation of the mitochondrial genes are largely established before the mother herself is born.