AN101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Hemoglobin, Sickle-Cell Disease, Headache
Document Summary
All cells contain several hundred oval shaped mitochondria that convert energy (derived from breakdowns of nutrients) that can be used to perform cellular functions. Each mitochondrion contains several copies of dna molecules or chromosome. Mitochondrial dna (mtdna) is distinct from chromosomal dna, its molecular structure and functions are the same. Known to contain approx 40 genes that direct conversion of energy in the cell. Like the dna in a cell"s nucleus, mtdna is subject to mutations some cause certain genetic disorders resulting from impaired energy conversion. Animals of both sexes inherit all their mtdna, and all mitochondrial traits from their mothers. *because it is inherited from just one parents, meiosis and recombination don"t occur. Means that all variation in mtdna among individuals is caused by mutation= mtdna useful for studying genetic change over time. Geneticists have used mutation rates in mtdna to investigate evolutionary relationships between species; to trace ancestral relationships within the human lineage, and to study genetic variability.
