The increase in mitochondrial DNA copy number in the tissues of gamma-irradiated mice.

Changes in the number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copies in the brain and spleen tissues of gamma-irradiated (3 Gy) mice were studied by comparative analysis of the long-extension PCR products of mtDNA (15.9 kb) and a fragment of the cluster nuclear beta-globin gene (8.7 kb) amplified simultaneously in one and the same test-tube within total DNA.