Your DNA is a mix of your mother’s and father’s genes. But when it comes to powering your cells, the mother’s genes take the lead, reveals a recent study.
Although humans inherit genetic material from both parents, a fascinating exception lies in your mitochondria or the energy factories of your cells, according to the latest study published in the journal Science Advances.
The researchers discovered that humans inherit the DNA inside their mitochondria from their mothers alone, with all traces of their father’s mitochondrial genome destroyed the moment sperm joins the egg. However, when this process fails, paternal mitochondria get into the developing embryo, causing lifelong issues with neurological, behavioral, and reproductive health in adulthood. These findings were based on a study conducted in roundworms.
The researchers hope these findings will provide new insights into how mitochondrial disorders develop. Mitochondrial disorders are conditions that disrupt the body’s ability to produce energy and affect one in 5,000 people. The study also suggests a potential solution for preventing or treating these disorders with Vitamin K2.
“These findings provide important new insights into why paternal mitochondria must be swiftly removed during early development. They also offer new hope for treatment of human diseases that may be caused when this process is compromised,” said senior author Ding Xue in a news release.
To understand what happens when paternal mitochondria do not self-destruct, researchers conducted a study on C. elegans, tiny, translucent worms. Although with only 1000 cells, these worms had a nervous system, gut, muscles, and other tissues similar to humans.
During the trial, the researchers tried to stop the process of paternal mitochondrial elimination (PME) in these worms and succeeded in delaying it by about 10 hours. This delay caused a significant drop in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy molecule that drives cell functions. At the end of the trial, the worms that survived experienced impaired cognition, reduced activity, and difficulty reproducing.
However, when the researchers treated these worms with MK-4, a form of vitamin K2 known for its role in bone health, it restored ATP levels to normal in the embryos. This helped them with memory, activity, and reproduction later in life.
Although more studies are needed to confirm the findings, the researchers hope that, in the future, treating families with a history of mitochondrial disorders could be as simple as taking Vitamin K2 prenatally.
