DNA Precursor Metabolism and Mitochondrial Genome Stability
Abstract
This project investigated DNA precursor metabolism in mammalian mitochondria, attempting to define relationships between deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) metabolism and mutagenesis in the mitochondrial genome. Specific contributions include: (1) We found that conditions altering the normal balance among the four dNTP pools within the mitochondrion stimulate both point and deletion mutagenesis; (2) dNTP pools in mitochondria from some tissues are highly asymmetric contributes toward the elevation of mitochondrial mutation rates compared to nuclear muation rates; (3) Mitochondrial dNTP pools do not show significant age-related changes in the rat, ruling out such changes as causative agents in aging-related accumulation of mitochondrial mutations; (4) A protein previously identified as a mitochondrial deoxyribmucleotide carrier, responsible for dNTP uptake into mitochondria, plays a quite different metablic role; (5) Mammalian mitochondria contain a novel ribonucleotide reductase, which may play a sinificant role in mitochondrial dNTP synthesis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA460347
Entities
People
- Christopher K. Mathews
Organizations
- Oregon State University