Defects in the Mitochondrial Genome of Dogs with Recurrent Tumours.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations in dogs diagnosed with primary and recurrent tumours, employing Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) for sequencing. Our investigation focused on mtDNA extracted from blood and tumour tissues of three dogs, aiming to pinpoint polymorphisms, mutations, and heteroplasmy levels that could influence mitochondrial function in cancer pathogenesis. Notably, we observed the presence of mutations in the D-loop region, especially in the VNTR region, which may be crucial for mitochondrial replication, transcription, and genome stability, suggesting its potential role in cancer progression.