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In humans, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) forms closed circular molecules that contain 16,569 [4] [5] DNA base pairs, [6] with each such molecule normally containing a full set of the mitochondrial genes. Each human mitochondrion contains, on average, approximately 5 such mtDNA molecules, with the quantity ranging between 1 and 15. [ 6 ]
Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in a eukaryotic cell; most of the DNA is in the cell nucleus, and, in plants and algae, the DNA also is found in plastids, such as chloroplasts. [3] Human mitochondrial DNA was the first significant part of the human genome to be sequenced. [4]
While there is much commonality, different parts of the tree of life use slightly different genetic codes. [1] When translating from genome to protein, the use of the correct genetic code is essential. The mitochondrial codes are the relatively well-known examples of variation.
Some types of non-coding DNA are genetic "switches" that do not encode proteins, but do regulate when and where genes are expressed (called enhancers). [30] Regulatory sequences have been known since the late 1960s. [31] The first identification of regulatory sequences in the human genome relied on recombinant DNA technology. [32]
Genomic DNA is tightly and orderly packed in the process called DNA condensation, to fit the small available volumes of the cell. In eukaryotes, DNA is located in the cell nucleus, with small amounts in mitochondria and chloroplasts. In prokaryotes, the DNA is held within an irregularly shaped body in the cytoplasm called the nucleoid. [97]
One indication that mitochondria were once free living is that each contains a circular DNA, called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), whose structure is more similar to bacteria than eukaryotic organisms (see endosymbiotic theory). The overwhelming majority of a human's DNA is contained in the chromosomes in the nucleus of the cell, but mtDNA is an ...
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 22 February 2025. DNA molecule containing genetic material of a cell This article is about the DNA molecule. For the genetic algorithm, see Chromosome (genetic algorithm). Chromosome (10 7 - 10 10 bp) DNA Gene (10 3 - 10 6 bp) Function A chromosome and its packaged long strand of DNA unraveled. The DNA's ...
Each half of the chromosome replicated by one replication fork is called a "replichore". (Graphic computer art by Daniel Yuen) A circular chromosome is a chromosome in bacteria, archaea, mitochondria, and chloroplasts, in the form of a molecule of circular DNA, unlike the linear chromosome of most eukaryotes.