The link between mitochondrial DNA hypervariable segment I heteroplasmy and ageing among genetically unrelated Latvians

International audience; Various studies have demonstrated that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy tends to increase with age and that the observed frequency of heteroplasmy among populations mostly depends on the way it is measured. Therefore, we investigated age-related association on the presence of mtDNA heteroplasmy within the hypervariable segment 1 (HVS-I) in a selected study group. The study group consisted of 300 maternally unrelated Latvians ranging in age from 18 to over 90years. To determine the optimal method for mtDNA heteroplasmy detection, three approaches were used: (i) SURVEYORTM Mutation Detection Kit, (ii) sequencing and (iii) denaturing gradient-gel electrophoresis (…