Janet
10-03-19, 19:50
“What stands out for me about this paper on paternal mitochondrial inheritance is that the authors present their findings not as challenging that mitochondrial genomes are maternally inherited in humans, but rather that these families likely have a defect in the process of actively eliminating paternal DNA,” says O’Farrell.
[my emphasis]
Sorry, don't mean to put the cat among the pigeons; but it's apparently no longer safe to assume in all cases that mtDNA can come only from the mother!
I know there was some discussion of mitochondrial DNA inheritance somewhere on this forum, and I'm not sure if I've found what I'm really looking for, but I did find some conversation on this thread:
Long Lost Family Special - Born Without Trace (http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=27448)
I've also been beating my brains out to find where, lately, I originally read about this surprising new revelation; but, until I find that, I think this article below from The Scientist does a credible job.
Researchers identify unique cases in which people inherited mitochondrial DNA not just from their mother but also from their father. (https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/fathers-can-pass-mitochondrial-dna-to-children-65165)
That said, please don't everyone start seeing zebras everywhere on the horizon when the overwhelming likelihood is that you're seeing normal everyday horses. In most cases, mtDNA will be inherited only from the mother. But if the puzzle absolutely cannot be solved any other way, then you might consider the possibility of mtDNA inheritance from the father.
[my emphasis]
Sorry, don't mean to put the cat among the pigeons; but it's apparently no longer safe to assume in all cases that mtDNA can come only from the mother!
I know there was some discussion of mitochondrial DNA inheritance somewhere on this forum, and I'm not sure if I've found what I'm really looking for, but I did find some conversation on this thread:
Long Lost Family Special - Born Without Trace (http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=27448)
I've also been beating my brains out to find where, lately, I originally read about this surprising new revelation; but, until I find that, I think this article below from The Scientist does a credible job.
Researchers identify unique cases in which people inherited mitochondrial DNA not just from their mother but also from their father. (https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/fathers-can-pass-mitochondrial-dna-to-children-65165)
That said, please don't everyone start seeing zebras everywhere on the horizon when the overwhelming likelihood is that you're seeing normal everyday horses. In most cases, mtDNA will be inherited only from the mother. But if the puzzle absolutely cannot be solved any other way, then you might consider the possibility of mtDNA inheritance from the father.