Lower mitochondrial DNA content relates to high-altitude adaptation in Tibetans.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is crucial to mitochondria in energy production and other physiological functions. When lowlanders arrive at high altitude, the mitochondrial content tends to decrease. However, the mtDNA content of native highlanders share the same feature as lowlanders remains unknown.

Mitochondrial DNA content contributes to climate adaptation using Chinese populations as a model.

Maintaining a balance between ATP synthesis and heat generation is crucial for adapting to changes in climate. Variation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which encodes 13 subunits of the respiratory chain complexes, may contribute to climate adaptation by regulating thermogenesis and the use of bioenergy. However, studies looking for a relationship between mtDNA haplogroups and climate have obtained mixed results, leaving unresolved the role of mtDNA in climate adaptation.

Absence of association between mitochondrial DNA C150T polymorphism and longevity in a Han Chinese population.

Human longevity has been associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) coding region polymorphisms, as well as the C150T polymorphism in the non-coding region in previous studies especially in Europeans. This study investigated the potential association between the mtDNA C150T polymorphism and longevity in a Han Chinese population. Leukocyte mtDNAs from two groups of a Han Chinese population living in Dujiangyan city of Sichuan province, including 556 longevous individuals (90-108 years-old) and 403 unrelated controls, were analyzed and mtDNA haplogroups were determined by sequencing control regions and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in coding regions.

Inland post-glacial dispersal in East Asia revealed by mitochondrial haplogroup M9a'b.

Background: Archaeological studies have revealed a series of cultural changes around the Last Glacial Maximum in East Asia; whether these changes left any signatures in the gene pool of East Asians remains poorly indicated. To achieve deeper insights into the demographic history of modern humans in East Asia around the Last Glacial Maximum, we extensively analyzed mitochondrial DNA haplogroup M9a'b, a specific haplogroup that was suggested to have some potential for tracing the migration around the Last Glacial Maximum in East Eurasia.

Results: A total of 837 M9a'b mitochondrial DNAs (583 from the literature, while the remaining 254 were newly collected in this study) pinpointed from over 28,000 subjects residing across East Eurasia were studied here.

Large-scale mtDNA screening reveals a surprising matrilineal complexity in east Asia and its implications to the peopling of the region.

In order to achieve a thorough coverage of the basal lineages in the Chinese matrilineal pool, we have sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and partial coding region segments of 6,093 mtDNAs sampled from 84 populations across China. By comparing with the available complete mtDNA sequences, 194 of those mtDNAs could not be firmly assigned into the available haplogroups. Completely sequencing 51 representatives selected from these unclassified mtDNAs identified a number of novel lineages, including five novel basal haplogroups that directly emanate from the Eurasian founder nodes (M and N).