Context:
The Egyptian god Thoth was represented by a baboon — which is odd because baboons aren’t native to Egypt. An interdisciplinary team of scientists recently cracked this long-standing mystery. Members of the team were able to retrieve ancient DNA from a mummified baboon found at the Gabbanat el-Qurud site.
About Mitochondria:
- Mitochondria are intracellular organelles of eukaryotic cells – such as animals, plants and fungi.
- Membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions.
- Nicknamed the “powerhouse of the cell”
- Chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
- In humans there can be over 1000 mitochondria per cell
- Human mitochondrial DNA was the first significant part of the human genome to be sequenced.
- Some cells in some multicellular organisms lack mitochondria (E.g., mature mammalian red blood cells)
- Offspring inherit mitochondria — and as a result mitochondrial DNA — from their mother.
Origin of Mitochondria: The prevailing hypothesis proposes that mitochondria originated from prokaryotic cells through incomplete endocytosis, involving the incorporation of an alpha-proteobacterium by a primary anaerobic protoeukaryotic cell. This symbiotic relationship enabled the host cell to utilize oxygen for energy production, facilitating survival in aerobic conditions.
About Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
- Mitochondrial DNA refers to the circular chromosome located within mitochondria.
- Applications:
- In anthropological genetics, mtDNA is useful for tracing geographic distribution of genetic variation, for the investigation of expansions, migrations and other pattern of gene flow.mtDNA is widely applied in forensic science. It is a powerful implement to identify human remains.
- Mitochondrial DNA profiling is one of the most important tools in maternal dispute and child swapping cases.
About Baboons
- There are 5 different species of baboons.
- Regions found – Africa & Arabia.
- Baboons are some of the world’s largest monkeys
- Habitat – prefer savanna and other semi-arid habitats, though a few live in tropical forests.
Source: The Hindu
Previous year question
In the context of hereditary diseases, consider the following statements:
1. Passing on mitochondrial diseases from parent to child can be prevented by mitochondrial replacement therapy either before or after in vitro fertilization of egg.
2. A child inherits mitochondrial diseases entirely from mother and not from father.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? [UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2021 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c)
