Why does mitochondrial inheritance behave as a single locus rather than following Mendelian segregation rules?
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Correct answer: Because mtDNA is inherited clonally in high copy number
Mitochondrial DNA is transmitted in multiple copies from the mother’s oocyte and does not recombine; all copies inherited go together, so it behaves as a single non-Mendelian locus.
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More Mitochondrial inheritance questions
- Which principle explains why rare deleterious mtDNA mutations may be lost in one generation despite being present in the mother?
- Which of the following is a potential challenge when diagnosing mitochondrial diseases using family history alone?
- Which of the following statements about nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins and their inheritance is correct?
- Which mitochondrial feature makes mtDNA a useful tool for tracing human maternal ancestry over many generations?
- Which of the following would be strong evidence for a nuclear (rather than mitochondrial) cause of a suspected mitochondrial disease?
- Why might a heteroplasmic mother have both affected and unaffected children when carrying a deleterious mtDNA mutation?