MITOCHONDRIAL EVE

1
MITOCHONDRIAL EVE

• THEORY - The mitochondrial DNA in modern humans
  was inherited from one common female ancestor in
  Africa 200,000 years ago.

2
Mitochondria

• Structure
• -cristae
• -matrix
• Functions
• -generate energy
• -cellular respiration
• -heat production
• Origin symbiosis of primitive bacteria and
  eukaryotic cells
• 
  
  

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Mitochondrial DNA

• Double-stranded, circular
• 16,569 base pairs
• Independent replication
• No recombination
• No DNA repair
• 10X higher mutation rate

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Mitochondria Fertilization

• Oocytes have 100,000 mitochondria
• Sperm have lt 100 mitochondria
• Sperm mitochondria is destroyed after
  fertilization
• Mitochondria is only inherited from the mother

5
MITOCHONDRIAL EVE

• THEORY - The mitochondrial DNA in modern humans
  was inherited from one common female ancestor in
  Africa 200,000 years ago.

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Possible Causes/Events for Mitochondrial Eve

• Bottleneck
• Random Genetic Drift
• Parthenogenesis

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The Parthenon
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Molecular Evidence

• DNA Restriction Analysis
• Sequencing

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Evolutionary Tree
10
Anthropological Evidence

• Human
• bones
• tools

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Summary

• Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother
• A population bottleneck likely resulted in
  Mitochondrial Eve
• Molecular and anthropological evidence support
  the theory of Mitochondrial Eve

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Key References
Ankel-Simons, F and Cummins,J. Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA 9313859 -13863, 1996. Barton, N. and
Jones, J. Nature 306317-318, 1983. Brown, W.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 773605-3609,1980. Cann
, R. et al. Nature 32531-36, 1987.
Cavalli-Sforza, L. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA 856002-6006, 1988. Giles, R. et al.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 776715-6719,
1980. Lewin, R. Science 23824 -26, 1987. The
Columbia Encyclopedia, 5th edition, Columbia
Univ. Press, 1993. http//hotbot.com/?MTpartheno
genesisBTHDHS1 Ross, D. Arch Pathol Lab
Med. 115544, 1991. Stringer, C. Sci. Am.
December 98-104, 1990. Stringer, C and Andrews,
P. Science 2391263-1268, 1988. Vigilant, L. et
al. Science 2531503-1507, 1991. Wilson, A. and
Cann, R. Sci. Am. April 68-73, 1992.