The human mitochondrial genome is a linear chromosome of 16569 base pairs. encodes 37 genes, 13 of which code for polypeptide chains. is inherited in two copies per mitochondrion, one of paternal lineage and the other of maternal lineage. is less susceptible to DNA damage than is the nuclear DNA.

The human mitochondrial DNA is inherited by matrilineal inheritance and it is more sensitive to damage than nuclear DNA.

Explanation:

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a DNA molecule localized in the mitochondria (i.e., independent from the nucleus). The mtDNA is more prone to suffer mutations than nuclear DNA due to 1-higher damage produced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and 2- the absence of nuclear DNA repair pathways. The mtDNA is generally inherited from the mother (both in plants and animals), it is for that reason that mitochondrial genes are powerful molecular markers used in phylogeographic studies to trace the evolutionary origin of a given species/population.

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