How to Use mitochondrial DNA in a Sentence

mitochondrial DNA

noun
  • Schliewen and Tautz sequenced a short snippet of mitochondrial DNA from each fish.
    — Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2021
  • The more mitochondrial DNA from different sources, the better.
    — Popular Science, 2 Aug. 2023
  • However, the level of success with getting much in the way of mitochondrial DNA was low enough that this is unlikely to happen.
    — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
  • One, the mitochondrial DNA profile obtained from that hair matches the defendant.
    — Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 17 July 2023
  • These conditions are caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA — a special genetic code separated from the rest of the genome.
    — Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Every person inherits mitochondrial DNA from their mother’s mother’s side that never changes.
    — La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 28 June 2024
  • Before this latest study, only short stretches of mitochondrial DNA from human and animal remains in Pompeii had been sequenced.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Dec. 2022
  • This technique can prevent mitochondrial disease being passed through mitochondrial DNA, though not via nuclear genome.
    — Walter G. Johnson and Diana M. Bowman, STAT, 24 Apr. 2022
  • One way that can happen is for a large section of mitochondrial DNA to spontaneously disappear between one generation and another.
    — Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Dec. 2022
  • In 2010, scientists sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of the Denisovans and introduced them to the world as a new species of early human.
    — Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2023
  • There has been some work underway over the last decade to use mitochondrial DNA and other molecular markers to measure contributions to wastewater from cows, pigs, cats, geese, deer, humans, and other species.
    — Megan Molteni and Helen Branswell, STAT, 13 May 2024
  • From the mitochondrial DNA, the researchers were able to determine that black bears (Ursus americanus) had lived in the region of the cave for a long time—at least 3000 years.
    — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, 19 Apr. 2021
  • Research on the remains included the use of dental and anthropological analysis, as well as mitochondrial DNA analysis.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 15 May 2024
  • Using dental and mitochondrial DNA analysis, scientists there were able to identify Tennyson’s remains.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The remains are then laid out and X-rayed to be matched further, other forms of analysis include mitochondrial DNA analysis and isotope analysis, which can determine what a person was eating decades ago.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 27 May 2024
  • First, Pääbo focused on mitochondrial DNA—genetic material found in the energy-producing structures within our cells.
    — Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2022
  • He was born in August 2016 with mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that leads to brain damage and muscle failure.
    — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 1 Jan. 2021
  • When mitochondrial diseases result from mutations in the mitochondrial DNA, rather than in the nuclear genome, the way mitochondria are inherited can cause problems in children even when their parents have no or mild symptoms.
    — Walter G. Johnson and Diana M. Bowman, STAT, 24 Apr. 2022
  • They were identified using mitochondrial DNA analysis and an analysis of proteins on the teeth, according to Asahi Shimbun and The Japan Times.
    — Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
  • These chromosomes encompass some 6 billion nucleotides in most human cells and include coding genes, noncoding elements (such as the telomeres at the ends of chromosomes), regulatory elements, and mitochondrial DNA.
    — Dmitri Pavlichin, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Aug. 2018
  • In squamate reptiles — the group that includes lizards and geckos — genetic divergence values in mitochondrial DNA markers above roughly 3–5% between populations are often considered indicative of species-level differences.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
  • The materials underwent anthropological study and mitochondrial DNA analysis.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 1 May 2026
  • To identify the closest possible match, genetic material extracted from the remains was compared with Y-chromosome DNA, as well as mitochondrial DNA that is only passed on by females within the maternal line, in the cheek swabs provided by descendants.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
  • In addition, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis and mitochondrial genome sequencing data to confirm his identity.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The genetic material researchers had retrieved was mitochondrial DNA, which, unlike nuclear DNA, is only inherited through the maternal line, providing an incomplete picture of an individual’s genomic ancestry.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
  • Genome sequencing includes both nuclear DNA -- the large, linear DNA in the cell's nucleus -- and the mitochondrial DNA, the smaller, circular DNA in the mitochondria, which is almost exclusively inherited from the mother.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Exosomes contain growth factors, in addition to other cell-signaling molecules like proteases (MMPs), inflammatory cytokines, mRNA, miRNA, mitochondrial DNA and genomic DNA.
    — Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mitochondrial DNA.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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