What is mtDNA?
Mitochondrial DNA Test
The mtDNA or Mitochondrial DNA is a small part of the DNA of a eukaryotic cell. The DNA lies in the cell nucleus of the human. In the human, the mtDNA or mitochondrial DNA can be evaluated as the smallest chromosome that is responsible for the coding of 37 genes and it contains around 16, 600 base pairs approximately. There is a theory about the mtDNA. This is called endosymbiotic DNA theory. The nuclear and the mitochondrial DNA are thought to be the disconnected origin of evolution, and the mtDNA is derived from the round genome of the bacteria that were engulfed by the ancient ancestors of today’s eukaryotic cells. Both the male and female have mtDNA present in them. This mtDNA is received from the mother so both men and women can go for mtDNA test. The mutation occurs in the mitochondrial DNA, but the rate of mutation of mtDNA is much slower. It takes more than thousand years to build up mutation so that one female line will have a sequence that is distinguishable from another. As people are spread out in the world so mutation can occur in the population over time. This helps us to test the mtDNA that is present in us and successfully identify our origin.
Why mtDNA testing is done?
Confirm the links through mother
The mtDNA is the unchanged portion that is present in your DNA. The mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to their kids, and it does not undergo the mutation that easily. It takes over thousand years to undergo any change. You can easily find the link that lies in your mitochondrial DNA by mtDNA test. The mtDNA is passed from mother to both male and female, and this test is done to find the matrilineal ancestry. It can be taken by both men and female as the mtDNA is present in both of them. If the perfect or nearly perfect match is found between two people, then one can find common relatives in the ancestors of another one’s relatives.
Discover the maternal heritage
The researchers say that the mtDNA is carried from Eve to the women. As all the people are spread through the whole world and this is the reason behind the mutation that occurs in mtDNA though the mutation is very slow in respect to others. For this reason, this test is a reliable test to discover the ancestry through the mother. It gives you a vivid description of where your maternal ancestors came from and how they migrated throughout the world.
Do I need mtDNA test?
The mtDNA is situated outside the chromosome of a cell in the mitochondria. The mtDNA is inherited only from the mother. The mtDNA is different, and most of the people confuse both the YDNA and mtDNA test thinking it as DNA testing. The genealogy of someone is set forth them, so that is not the case with DNA testing. So, if want to know about your maternal ancestors, then you can go through mtDNA test. It does not only show you the origin of the ancestors of your mother but also the people who are related through the maternal line. You can use the result to search for relatives all over the world or a particular region.