MITOCHONDRIAL DNA – THE ARROW HEAD OF HEREDITY
Presented by: Professor Peter P. Mullen
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Learning Objectives
- To promote the understanding of DNA and how it relates to human disease
- To evaluate the clinical significance of Mitochondrial DNA
- To review the biochemical functions within the mitochondria
- To review the options for gene therapy and genetic engineering
- To promote the concept of genetic counseling
- To understand maternal heritage & genealogy within the Mitochondrial genome
PROLOGUE: From the first publication of Gregor Mendel’s journal in 1866 to the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2000, scientific knowledge about human inheritance has taken a journey as valuable as the Lewis and Clark Mapping of the North American Pacific Northwest Passage. The same question remained for both discoveries –
“Now that we know, where do we go? “
There was NO turning back for either – pathways to unchartered domains resulted in new knowledge altering the future for our ancestors, our heritage and our- selves. These discoveries have provided scholarly knowledge in the areas of History, Anthropology, Biochemistry, Medical Science, Molecular Biology, Genetics and Genealogy.
James Taylor I (the elder) 