Genetics, Vol. 156, 1277-1284, November 2000, Copyright © 2000

Selective and Continuous Elimination of Mitochondria Microinjected Into Mouse Eggs From Spermatids, but Not From Liver Cells, Occurs Throughout Embryogenesis

Hiroshi Shitaraa,b, Hideki Kanedaa, Akitsugu Satob, Kimiko Inoueb,c, Atsuo Ogurac, Hiromichi Yonekawaa, and Jun-Ichi Hayashib,d
a Department of Laboratory Animal Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo 113-8613, Japan,
b Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan,
c Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
d Center for Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan

Corresponding author: Jun-Ichi Hayashi, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan., jih45{at}sakura.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp (E-mail)

Communicating editor: N. TAKAHATA

Exclusion of paternal mitochondria in fertilized mammalian eggs is very stringent and ensures strictly maternal mtDNA inheritance. In this study, to examine whether elimination was specific to sperm mitochondria, we microinjected spermatid or liver mitochondria into mouse embryos. Congenic B6-mtspr strain mice, which are different from C57BL/6J (B6) strain mice (Mus musculus domesticus) only in possessing M. spretus mtDNA, were used as mitochondrial donors. B6-mtspr mice and a quantitative PCR method enabled selective estimation of the amount of M. spretus mtDNA introduced even in the presence of host M. m. domesticus mtDNA and monitoring subsequent changes of its amount during embryogenesis. Results showed that M. spretus mtDNA in spermatid mitochondria was not eliminated by the blastocyst stage, probably due to the introduction of a larger amount of spermatid mtDNA than of sperm mtDNA into embryos on fertilization. However, spermatid-derived M. spretus mtDNA was eliminated by the time of birth, whereas liver-derived M. spretus mtDNA was still present in most newborn mice, even though its amount introduced was significantly less than that of spermatid mtDNA. These observations suggest that mitochondria from spermatids but not from liver have specific factors that ensure their selective elimination and resultant elimination of mtDNA in them, and that the occurrence of elimination is not limited to early stage embryos, but continues throughout embryogenesis.





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