REVIEW: Multifactorial Nature of High Frequency of Mitochondrial DNA Mutations in Somatic Mammalian Cells

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I. N. Todorov^* and G. I. Todorov

Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Akademika Semenova 1, 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow Region, Russia; E-mail: int@icp.ac.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received February 11, 2008; Revision received November 27, 2008

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The high frequency of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in somatic mammalian cells, which is more than two orders of magnitude higher than the mutation frequency of nuclear DNA (nDNA), significantly correlates with development of a variety of mitochondrial diseases (neurodegenerative diseases, cardiomyopathies, type II diabetes mellitus, cancer, etc.). A direct cause–consequence relationship has been established between mtDNA mutations and aging phenotypes in mammals. However, the unclear nature of the high frequency of mtDNA mutations requires a comprehensive consideration of factors that contribute to this phenomenon: oxidative stress, features of structural organization and repair of the mitochondrial genome, ribonucleotide reductase activity, replication errors, mutations of nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial proteins.

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KEY WORDS: oxidative stress, frequency of mtDNA mutations, structural features, repair mechanisms, ribonucleotide reductase activity

DOI: 10.1134/S000629790909003X

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