What is the benefit of mitochondrial DNA?

The most important advantages of using mtDNA are its intrinsic ability to resist degradation and its high copy number inside the cell as compared to nuclear DNA (nuDNA). Each cell contains around 1000 mitochondria, and there are 2–10 copies of the mtDNA per mitochondrion [98].

How is mitochondrial DNA different from the other DNA that we have in our cells?

It contains just 37 of the 20,000 to 25,000 protein-coding genes in our body. But it is notably distinct from DNA in the nucleus. Unlike nuclear DNA, which comes from both parents, mitochondrial DNA comes only from the mother. Nobody fully understands why or how fathers’ mitochondrial DNA gets wiped from cells.

Why is mitochondrial DNA better than regular DNA to check close related species?

Mitochondrial DNA offers a particularly rich source of markers for the study of closely related taxa because of the very low rate of recombination (Piganeau et al., 2004), maternal inheritance, simple genetic structure, reduced effective population size (Ne), and relatively rapid rates of evolution (Avise et al., 1983; …

Why is it better to use mitochondrial DNA in phylogenetics?

Mitochondrial DNA offers several benefits over nuclear DNA when determining phylogenetic pathways, including: Higher mutation rate – Mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species, which cause sequences to mutate at a higher rate.

What is the advantage of keeping some DNA needed by mitochondria in the cell’s nucleus and some in the mitochondria itself?

“Keeping those genes locally in the mitochondria gives the cell a way to individually control mitochondria,” Johnston says, because pivotal proteins are created in the mitochondria themselves.

Why is mitochondrial DNA considered the best marker for phylogenetic analysis?

In phylogenetic study, mitochondrial DNA has many advantages. They possess strict maternal transmission [30] with high mutation rate due to limited repair system (5-10 times that of nuclear DNA) [31] and conserved simple structure.

What is the significance of mitochondrial DNA sequencing in tracing evolutionary relationship of organisms belonging to the same species?

Explanation: The mitochondrial DNA is a maternal that is used to construct evolutionary trees. The mitochondrial DNAs have a higher rate of mutations than the nuclear DNA. The higher rate of in mitochondrial DNA mutationsmaking it easy to resolve differences between closely related individuals.