Roles of the mitochondrial replisome in mitochondrial DNA deletion formation
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2020
Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions are a common cause of human mitochondrial diseases. Mutations in the genes encoding components of the mitochondrial replisome, such as DNA polymerase gamma (Pol γ) and the mtDNA helicase Twinkle, have been associated with the accumulation of such deletions and the development of pathological conditions in humans. Recently, we demonstrated that changes in the level of wild-type Twinkle promote mtDNA deletions, which implies that not only mutations in, but also dysregulation of the stoichiometry between the replisome components is potentially pathogenic. The mechanism(s) by which alterations to the replisome function generate mtDNA deletions is(are) currently under debate. It is commonly accepted that stalling of the replication fork at sites likely to form secondary structures precedes the deletion formation. The secondary structural elements can be bypassed by the replication-slippage mechanism. Otherwise, stalling of the replication fork can generate single- and double-strand breaks, which can be repaired through recombination leading to the elimination of segments between the recombination sites. Here, we discuss aberrances of the replisome in the context of the two debated outcomes, and suggest new mechanistic explanations based on replication restart and template switching that could account for all the deletion types reported for patients.
Publication Title
Genetics and molecular biology
Volume
43
Issue
1 suppl. 1
First Page
e20190069
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2019-0069
PubMed ID
32141473
ISSN
1415-4757
Language
eng
Citation Information
Oliveira, Marcos T.; Pontes, Carolina de; and Ciesielski, Grzegorz L., "Roles of the mitochondrial replisome in mitochondrial DNA deletion formation" (2020). UNF Faculty Research and Scholarship. 3283.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/unf_faculty_publications/3283