A genetic bottleneck explains the marked changes in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy observed during the transmission of pathogenic mutations, but the precise timing remains controversial, and it is not clear whether selection plays a role. These issues are critically important for the genetic counseling of prospective mothers, and developing treatments aimed at disease prevention. By studying mice transmitting a heteroplasmic single base-pair deletion in the mitochondrial tRNAMet gene, we show that mammalian mtDNA heteroplasmy levels are principally determined prenatally within the developing female germ line. Although we saw no evidence of mtDNA selection prenatally, skewed heteroplasmy levels were observed in the offspring of the next generation, consistent with purifying selection. High percentage levels of the tRNAMet mutation were linked to a compensatory increase in overall mitochondrial RNAs, ameliorating the biochemical phenotype, and explaining why fecundity is not compromised.

Heteroplasmic mtDNA mutations typically act in a recessive way and cause mitochondrial disease only if present above a certain threshold level. We have experimentally investigated to what extent the absolute levels of wild-type (WT) mtDNA influence disease manifestations by manipulating TFAM levels in mice with a heteroplasmic mtDNA mutation in the tRNAAla gene. Increase of total mtDNA levels ameliorated pathology in multiple tissues, although the levels of heteroplasmy remained the same. A reduction in mtDNA levels worsened the phenotype in postmitotic tissues, such as heart, whereas there was an unexpected beneficial effect in rapidly proliferating tissues, such as colon, because of enhanced clonal expansion and selective elimination of mutated mtDNA. The absolute levels of WT mtDNA are thus an important determinant of the pathological manifestations, suggesting that pharmacological or gene therapy approaches to selectively increase mtDNA copy number provide a potential treatment strategy for human mtDNA mutation disease.

Regulation of replication and expression of mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA ) is essential for cellular energy conversion via oxidative phosphorylation. The mitochondrial transcription elongation factor ( TEFM ) has been proposed to regulate the switch between transcription termination for replication primer formation and processive, near genome‐length transcription for mt DNA gene expression. Here, we report that Tefm is essential for mouse embryogenesis and that levels of promoter‐distal mitochondrial transcripts are drastically reduced in conditional Tefm ‐knockout hearts. In contrast, the promoter‐proximal transcripts are much increased in Tefm knockout mice, but they mostly terminate before the region where the switch from transcription to replication occurs, and consequently, de novo mt DNA replication is profoundly reduced. Unexpectedly, deep sequencing of RNA from Tefm knockouts revealed accumulation of unprocessed transcripts in addition to defective transcription elongation. Furthermore, a proximity‐labeling (Bio ID ) assay showed that TEFM interacts with multiple RNA processing factors. Our data demonstrate that TEFM acts as a general transcription elongation factor, necessary for both gene transcription and replication primer formation, and loss of TEFM affects RNA processing in mammalian mitochondria.

Mammalian mitochondrial transcription is executed by a single subunit mitochondrial RNA polymerase (Polrmt) and its two accessory factors, mitochondrial transcription factors A and B2 (Tfam and Tfb2m). Polrmt is structurally related to single-subunit phage RNA polymerases, but it also contains a unique N-terminal extension (NTE) of unknown function. We here demonstrate that the NTE functions together with Tfam to ensure promoter-specific transcription. When the NTE is deleted, Polrmt can initiate transcription in the absence of Tfam, both from promoters and non-specific DNA sequences. Additionally, when in presence of Tfam and a mitochondrial promoter, the NTE-deleted mutant has an even higher transcription activity than wild-type polymerase, indicating that the NTE functions as an inhibitory domain. Our studies lead to a model according to which Tfam specifically recruits wild-type Polrmt to promoter sequences, relieving the inhibitory effect of the NTE, as a first step in transcription initiation. In the second step, Tfb2m is recruited into the complex and transcription is initiated.