Manipulating The Mitochondrial Genetic System

Cytoplasmic organelles in eukaryotes retain their own genome. Mutations in the human mitochondrial DNA are the most common cause of hereditary neuromuscular diseases. These degenerative disorders are still incurable and would need gene therapy. In plants, mitochondrial genetics provides traits of great agronomical relevance. Conventional methodologies failed to enable genetic transformation of mitochondria in mammalian and plant cells, but a variety of alternative complementation strategies and organelle transfection approaches are currently developed. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel