Trends Genet. 2026 Jun 18. pii: S0168-9525(26)00138-1. [Epub ahead of print]
Recent advances integrating high-resolution 3D structures with population genetics and comparative evolutionary analyses indicate that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) acts as a primary evolutionary engine driving nuclear coadaptation. This process reflects a trade-off between individual heterozygosity and mtDNA-driven variability, which together expand the mitonuclear haplotype pool within species.
Keywords: OxPhos; mitonuclear evolution