In certain Latin American countries during periods of political volatility, children were removed from their families and their parents were executed (then referred to as being "disappeared"). The methods with the best chance of reuniting those children with members of their extended family have used mtDNA matching. Why and how?
A) Children's mitochondria will have genomes that are 1/4 identical to each of their grandparents. B) Children's mitochondria will have genomes that are 1/2 identical to their maternal grandparents. C) Children's mtDNA will be identical to those of their first cousins. D) Remains of the children's mothers can be used to match their mtDNA with that of their children. E) Children's mitochondria will have genomes that are identical to those of their maternal grandmothers.
Myoclonal epilepsy and ragged red fiber disease (MERRF) is a human condition named for the ragged red fibers of skeletal muscle cells and myoclonic epilepsy in affected individuals. People with this disorder have a mutation in a mitochondrial gene for a tRNA, specifically that for lysine. Affected individuals are heteroplastic. Why?
A) Mutations of this gene are dominant. B) Mutations of this gene affect individuals before birth. C) Interference with translation is not fully rescued by importing lysine from the cytoplasm. D) Lysine is required in translation of every one of the mitochondrial genes. E) Homoplastic organelles would be inviable due to failures in translation.