| 释义 |
mitochondrial chromosome mi·to·chon·dri·al chro·mo·somethe DNA component of mitochondria, the chief function of which is synthesis of adenosine triphosphate and the management of cellular energy; the chromosome contains some 16,000 base pairs arranged in a circle. The inheritance is matrilineal, and the mutation rate is unusually high; because each cell contains thousands of copies, a mutant form may assume an almost continuous gradation as in a galtonian process. Most of the mutations known have their impact on the respiratory chain. |