Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Damas J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3439893 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Damas Joana J Carneiro João J Gonçalves Joana J Stewart James B JB Samuels David C DC Amorim António A Pereira Filipe F
Nucleic acids research 20120531 16
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions are a primary cause of mitochondrial disease and are believed to contribute to the aging process and to various neurodegenerative diseases. Despite strong observational and experimental evidence, the molecular basis of the deletion process remains obscure. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the primary cause of mtDNA vulnerability to breakage resides in the formation of non-B DNA conformations, namely hairpin, cruciform and cloverleaf-like elements. Us ...[more]