Improving post-natal detection of mitochondrial DNA mutations

Abstract

Introduction: Currently, genetic testing of mitochondrial DNA mutations includes screening for single-nucleotide variants, several base pair insertions or deletions, large-scale deletions, or relative depletion of total mitochondrial DNA content. Within the last decade, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has resulted in remarkable advances in the field of mitochondrial diseases (MD) and has become a routine step of the diagnostic workup.

Areas covered: We aimed to present an overview of current technologies employed in molecular diagnosis of mitochondrial DNA diseases. We report on the recent contributions of NGS testing to the diagnosis and understanding of MD.

Expert opinion: The progress of NGS technologies allows the simultaneous detection of mutations and quantification of the heteroplasmy level, ensuring sensitivity and specificity requested for the detection of mitochondrial DNA point mutations. NGS protocols enabling the simultaneous analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA are now efficient and cost-saving approaches, and have become the gold-standard technique in diagnostic laboratories.

Keywords: Mitochondrial DNA; heteroplasmy; next-generation sequencing (NGS).