Previously unknown 'biological oddity' found in animal species
For the first time in any animal species, a type of "selfish" mitochondrial DNA that is actually compromising the organism's chance of survival has been discovered.
Researchers at the Oregon State University have made the discovery and published their findings in the journal PLoS One. A biological oddity previously unknown in animals, the DNA bears a strong similarity to some damage done to human cells as they age, and it is thought that these new findings may provide an important new tool to study human aging.
The discovery was made almost by accident during genetic research being carried out on a nematode, Caenorhabditis briggsae, a type of roundworm.
Dee Denver, an OSU associate professor of biology, said: "We weren't even looking for this when we found it, at first we thought it must be a laboratory error. Selfish DNA is not supposed to be found in animals. But it could turn out to be fairly important as a new genetic model to study the type of mitochondria decay that is associated with human aging."
Such selfish mitochondrial DNA has been found before in plants, but not animals.
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