Changes in mitochondrial DNA control how nuclear DNA mutations are expressed in cardiomyopathy

(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) Differences in the DNA within the mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells, can determine the severity and progression of heart disease caused by a nuclear DNA mutation. When combined with a mutation in nuclear DNA in animals, one mitochondrial DNA variant greatly worsened heart disease, while a different variant had a protective effect.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news