Intro to Mitochondrial DNA

In Mendelian genetics the offspring of a mother and father should theoretically be 50% mom, 50% father, but in reality this is not true. The mother contributes more in her oocyte with additional organelles and extra DNA in the form of Mitochondria. Mitochondria contains an extra 37 genes and produces the energy the cell needs to function in the form of ATP.
Mitochondria is hypothesized to have originally come from bacteria that was swallowed up by the early cells that eventually became all plants and animals. Mitochondria is interesting because it accumulates mutations approximately 10 times the rate of nuclear DNA. Through this fact scientists have traced human DNA back to Africa 200,000 years ago to a single female. Using mitochondrial DNA is helpful in tracing samples of DNA from a long time ago, or a very weak sample, and can be determined easier by the thousands of the mutations.
In this experiment, PCR is used to amplify a 440 nucleotide sequence within the control region of the mt genome. Cycles are much shorter because a sequence is amplified several thousand times with a nuclear sequence with only two copies. Once again we shall be taking cheek cells obtained from our mouths by chewing gently but vigirously. A salt solution is used once again and then the cells are centrifuged and boiled,. The supernatent DNA solution is combined with buffered solution of Taq polymerase, primers, DNTP building blocksl and MgCl2. It is then placed in a thermal cycler