Matha Amber R, Lin Xiaorong
Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Pathogens. 2020 Sep 10;9(9):743. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9090743.
The mitochondrion is a vital organelle in most eukaryotic cells. It contains its own DNA which differs from nuclear DNA, since it is often inherited from only one parent during sexual reproduction. In anisogamous mammals, this is largely due to the fact that the oocyte has over 1000 times more copies of mitochondrial DNA than the sperm. However, in the isogamous fungus , uniparental mitochondrial inheritance (UMI) still occurs during sexual reproduction. It is proposed that UMI might have evolved in the last common ancestor of eukaryotes. Thus, understanding the fundamental process of UMI in lower eukaryotes may give insights into how the process might have evolved in eukaryotic ancestors. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the cellular features as well as the molecular underpinnings of UMI in during the mating process, and open questions that need to be answered to solve the mystery of UMI in this eukaryotic microbe.
线粒体是大多数真核细胞中的重要细胞器。它含有自己的DNA，与核DNA不同，因为在有性生殖过程中它通常仅从一个亲本遗传而来。在异形配子的哺乳动物中，这主要是由于卵母细胞的线粒体DNA拷贝数比精子多1000倍以上。然而，在同形配子的真菌中，有性生殖过程中仍会发生单亲线粒体遗传（UMI）。有人提出UMI可能在真核生物的最后一个共同祖先中就已进化。因此，了解低等真核生物中UMI的基本过程可能有助于深入了解该过程在真核生物祖先中是如何进化的。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了关于在交配过程中UMI的细胞特征以及分子基础的当前知识，以及解决这种真核微生物中UMI之谜需要回答的开放性问题。
