Cd. Calloway et al., The frequency of heteroplasmy in the HVII region of mtDNA differs across tissue types and increases with age, AM J HU GEN, 66(4), 2000, pp. 1384-1397
Citations number
53
Categorie Soggetti
Research/Laboratory Medicine & Medical Tecnology","Molecular Biology & Genetics
An immobilized sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO) probe system consist
ing of 16 SSO probes that detect sequence polymorphisms within five regions
of the mtDNA control region was used to investigate the frequency of heter
oplasmy in human mtDNA. Five regions of hypervariable region II (HVII) of t
he control region were studied in blood-, muscle-, heart-, and brain-tissue
samples collected from 43 individuals during autopsy. An initial search fo
r heteroplasmy was conducted by use of the SSO probe system. Samples in whi
ch multiple probe signals were detected within a region were sequenced for
the HVII region, to verify the typing-strip results. The frequency of heter
oplasmy was 5 of 43 individuals, or 1.1.6%. The frequency of heteroplasmy d
iffered across tissue types, being higher in muscle tissue. The difference
in the frequency of heteroplasmy across different age groups was statistica
lly significant, which suggests that heteroplasmy increases with age. As a
test for contamination and to confirm heteroplasmy, the samples were sequen
ced for the HVI region and were typed by use of a panel of five polymorphic
nuclear markers. Portions of the tissues that appeared to be heteroplasmic
were extracted at least one additional time; all gave identical results. T
he results from these tests indicate that the multiple sequences present in
individual samples result from heteroplasmy and not from contamination.