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Males — Don’t Look Down at Our Shrinking…

Y-Chromosome. A Discussion with Advanced Google Gemini

I had a question about the two forms of DNA — regular and mitochondrial. What DNA is present when a sperm and an egg unite?

When a sperm and an egg unite, both nuclear DNA (the “regular” DNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are present.

• Nuclear DNA: This is the DNA located within the nucleus of the cell and contains the majority of an organism’s genetic information. The sperm contributes half of the nuclear DNA (23 chromosomes) and the egg contributes the other half (23 chromosomes), resulting in a zygote with a full set of 46 chromosomes.
• Mitochondrial DNA: This DNA is located within the mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles of the cell. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited exclusively from the mother. The sperm does contain some mitochondria in its tail, but these are typically destroyed after fertilization. Thus, the zygote’s mitochondria, and therefore its mtDNA, come entirely from the egg.

In summary, the fertilized egg, or zygote, contains a combination of nuclear DNA from both parents and mitochondrial DNA solely from the mother.