Preventing transmission of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA diseases

@article{Poulton2009PreventingTO,
  title={Preventing transmission of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA diseases},
  author={Joanna Poulton and Stephen Kennedy and Pippa Oakeshott and Dagan Wells},
  journal={BMJ : British Medical Journal},
  year={2009},
  volume={338}
}
#### Summary points #### Methods We used our personal archive of references, Medline searches, and consultation with other experts in the field to produce this review. It is derived from 22 years of research and 11 years of genetic counselling in mitochondrial DNA diseases. Maternally inherited mutations of mitochondrial DNA can be asymptomatic or cause illnesses such as developmental regression, deafness, blindness, neuropathy, diabetes, cardiomyopathy, and liver failure. Families who have… 
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48 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
2
Background Citations
18
Methods Citations
4

48 Citations

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis in mitochondrial DNA disorders: challenge and success

PGD provides carriers of mtDNA mutations the opportunity to conceive healthy offspring through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which circumvents these problems by transferring an embryo below the threshold of clinical expression.

Preventing the transmission of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutations: can we achieve long-term benefits from germ-line gene transfer?

A model of mtDNA heteroplasmy inheritance was developed by studying 87 mother–child pairs, and predicted the likely outcome of different levels of ‘mutant mtDNA leakage’ on subsequent maternal generations, and showed that reducing the proportion of mutant mtDNA to <5% dramatically reduces the chance of disease recurrence in subsequent generations.

Information for genetic management of mtDNA disease: sampling pathogenic mtDNA mutants in the human germline and in placenta

Background Families with a child who died of severe, maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disease need information on recurrence risk. Estimating this risk is difficult because of (a)…

PGD and heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA point mutations: a systematic review estimating the chance of healthy offspring.

The data show, for the first time, that carriers of heteroplasmic mtDNA mutations will have a fair chance of having healthy offspring, by applying PGD, and these conclusions are partly based on estimations and do not provide absolute certainty.

Assisted Reproductive Technologies: The Potential to Prevent the Transmission of Mutant mtDNA from One Generation to the Next

Encouraging studies in non-human models have developed micromanipulation approaches to reduce the transmission of mutant mtDNA between generations, however, these methodologies require further experimental validation to determine whether assisted reproductive technologies can prevent the Transmission of Mutant mtDNA.

Mitochondrial donation – birth of a policy

Mitochondrial donation (or mitochondrial replacement techniques, MRT) is a special form of in vitro fertilisa­ tion involving the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of a third (donor) party. This technique…

Avoiding transgenerational risks of mitochondrial DNA disorders: a morally acceptable reason for sex selection?

It is concluded that if PGD is already part of the procedure, either as the central technology or as a back-up test after NT, preferentially transferring male embryos could in principle be a morally acceptable way of reducing possible burdens and risks.

Segregation of mitochondrial DNA mutations in the human placenta: implication for prenatal diagnosis of mtDNA disorders

Data indicate that mutant load determined from CVS has to be interpreted with caution for PND of some mtDNA disorders and should be associated with/substituted by a mutant load measurement on amniocytes.

Mitochondrial Gene Replacement in Primate Offspring and Embryonic Stem Cells

It is demonstrated here that the mitochondrial genome can be efficiently replaced in mature non-human primate oocytes (Macaca mulatta) by spindle–chromosomal complex transfer from one egg to an enucleated, mitochondrial-replete egg.

174th ENMC International Workshop: Applying pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to mtDNA diseases: Implications of scientific advances 19–21 March 2010, Naarden, The Netherlands

References

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It is concluded that none of them supplies convincing moral arguments to regard risk-reducing PGD as unacceptable, Nevertheless, introducing this new application of PGD in clinical practice will raise further complex issues of determining conditions for its responsible use.

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    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
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Nuclear transplantation of zygotes of transmitochondria mice was carried out and was shown to rescue all of the F(0) progeny from expression of respiration defects throughout their lives, applicable to patients with mitochondrial diseases for preventing their children from developing the diseases.

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