Dori C. Woods

Mitochondrial subpopulations in oocytes and cumulus cells exhibit distinct age-associated changes and selective plasticity in response to NMN supplementation

The paper identifies age-related mitochondrial subpopulation changes in oocytes and cumulus cells and shows NMN has subpopulation-specific effects.

Positive germline selection of mtDNA: evidence from the oocyte.

The paper analyzes mtDNA mutation dynamics in human oocytes and finds evidence of positive selection for noncoding and coding mutations, suggesting a shift from positive to purifying selection upon inheritance.

Mitochondria-Associated Transcription Precedes Oxidative Phosphorylation Activation During Human Pre-Implantation Embryogenesis

This study reanalyzes single-cell RNA sequencing data to show that mitochondrial gene expression changes precede oxidative phosphorylation activation and lineage specification in human pre-implantation embryos.

A Mitochondrial Basis for Tead4 Bioavailability at the First Mammalian Cell Fate Decision

The paper identifies that Tead4 preferentially localizes to large, high-membrane-potential mitochondria in 8-cell embryos, establishing a mitochondrial basis for its bioavailability during early mammalian cell fate decisions.

A novel, wave-shaped profile of germline selection of pathogenic mtDNA mutations is discovered by bypassing a classical statistical bias.

This paper reveals a wave-shaped germline selection profile of mtDNA mutations by correcting for regression to the mean bias, showing how mutations are filtered in the germline.

Reanalysis of mtDNA mutations of human primordial germ cells (PGCs) reveals NUMT contamination and suggests that selection in PGCs may be positive

The paper reanalyzes mtDNA mutation data from human primordial germ cells, identifies NUMT contamination, and suggests that selection in PGCs may be positive rather than negative.

The 'Stem' and the 'Workers' of the mtDNA population of the cell. Evidence from mutational analysis.

The paper proposes the existence of 'stem' and 'worker' mtDNA subpopulations based on mutational analysis and HiFi read data, suggesting differential roles in replication and oxidative phosphorylation.

Aneuploidy in human embryos is associated with a maternal age- independent increase in mitochondrial DNA content and an enrichment of ultra-rare mitochondrial DNA variants

The paper finds that aneuploidy in human embryos is linked to higher mitochondrial DNA content and more ultra-rare mtDNA variants, independent of maternal age.

Nuclear DNA-encoded fragments of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) confound analysis of selection of mtDNA mutations in human primordial germ cells.

The paper re-analyzes mtDNA mutation data from primordial germ cells and finds that many variants are artifacts from nuclear mitochondrial DNA fragments, invalidating previous conclusions about purifying selection.

Dynamics of the most common pathogenic mtDNA variant m.3243A>G demonstrate frequency-dependency in blood and positive selection in the germline.

This paper shows that the m.3243A>G mtDNA mutation levels in blood change in a bi-phasic way with age, requiring an age correction dependent on mutation level, and finds evidence for positive germline selection of this mutation.

Quasi-Mendelian Paternal Inheritance of mitochondrial DNA: A notorious artifact, or anticipated mtDNA behavior?

The paper challenges previous interpretations of biparental mtDNA inheritance, proposing a model where paternal mtDNA undergoes selective fixation due to initial low copy number and a selective advantage.