IS MITHOCHONDRIA A GENRTIC MATETRIAL ? IF YES WHY?

• Mitochondria are structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use. Mitochondria produce energy through a process called oxidative phosphorylation.
• Although most DNA is packaged in chromosomes within the nucleus, mitochondria also have a small amount of their own DNA. This genetic material is known as mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA.
• Mitochondrial DNA contains 37 genes, all of which are essential for normal mitochondrial function. 13 of these genes provide instructions for making enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation. The remaining genes provide instructions for making molecules called transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), which are chemical cousins of DNA. These types of RNA help assemble protein building blocks (amino acids) into functioning proteins.
• Therefore, mitochondria are not the genetic material. It is the mitochondrial DNA which is the genetic material and inherited from one generation to another.