TY - JOUR AU - Sańko, Tomasz J. AU - Burzyński, Artur PY - 2014 DA - 2014/02/28 TI - Co-expressed mitochondrial genomes: recently masculinized, recombinant mitochondrial genome is co-expressed with the female – transmitted mtDNA genome in a male Mytilus trossulus mussel from the Baltic Sea JO - BMC Genetics SP - 28 VL - 15 IS - 1 AB - Few exceptions have been described from strict maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA in animals, including sea mussels (Mytilidae), clams (Donacidae, Veneridae and Solenidae) and freshwater mussels (Unionoidae) order. In these bivalves mitochondria and their DNA are transferred through two separate routes. The females inherit only the maternal mitochondrial DNA whereas the males inherit maternal as well as paternal mitochondrial DNA, which is usually present only in gonads and sperm. The mechanism controlling this phenomenon is unclear but leads to the existence of two separate mitochondrial DNA lineages in a single species. The lineages are usually well differentiated: up to 20-50% divergence in nucleotide sequence. Occasionally, a maternal mitochondrial DNA can invade the paternal transmission route, eventually replacing the diverged M-type and lowering the divergence. Such role reversal (masculinization) event has happened recently in the Mytilus population of the Baltic Sea which consists of M. edulis × M. trossulus hybrids, but the functional status of the resulting mitochondrial genome was unknown. SN - 1471-2156 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2156-15-28 DO - 10.1186/1471-2156-15-28 ID - Sańko2014 ER -