Unusual mtDNA Control Region Length Heteroplasmy in the COS-7 Cell Line
Abstract
The COS-7 cell line is a workhorse of virology research. To expand this cell line’s utility and to enable studies on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcription and replication, we determined the complete nucleotide sequence of its mitochondrial genome by Sanger sequencing. In contrast to other available mtDNA sequences from Chlorocebus aethiops, the mtDNA of the COS-7 cell line was found to contain a variable number of perfect copies of a 108 bp unit tandemly repeated in the control region. We established that COS-7 cells are heteroplasmic with at least two variants being present: with four and five repeat units. The analysis of the mitochondrial genome sequences from other primates revealed that tandem repeats are absent from examined mtDNA control regions of humans and great apes, but appear in lower primates, where they are present in a homoplasmic state. To our knowledge, this is the first report of mtDNA length heteroplasmy in primates.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 30, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.3390/genes11060607
Entities
People
- Mikhail F Alexeyev
- Nataliya Kozhukhar
- Sunil Mitta
Organizations
- Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
- United States Department of Defense