Avoiding Extinction: Recent Advances in Understanding Mechanisms of Mitochondrial DNA Purifying Selection in the Germline

Mitochondria are unusual organelles in that they contain their own genomes, which are kept apart from the rest of the DNA in the cell. While mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is essential for respiration and most multicellular life, maintaining a genome outside the nucleus brings with it a number of challenges. Chief among these is preserving mtDNA genomic integrity from one generation to the next. In this review, we discuss what is known about negative (purifying) selection mechanisms that prevent deleterious mutations from accumulating in mtDNA in the germline. Throughout, we focus on the female germline, as it is the tissue through which mtDNA is inherited in most organisms and, therefore, the tissue that most profoundly shapes the genome. We discuss recent progress in uncovering the mechanisms of germline mtDNA selection, from humans to invertebrates.