![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Mitochondrial_DNA_lg.jpg/640px-Mitochondrial_DNA_lg.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Mitochondrial DNA
DNA located in mitochondria / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in a eukaryotic cell; most of the DNA is in the cell nucleus, and, in plants and algae, the DNA also is found in plastids, such as chloroplasts.[3]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Mitochondrial_DNA_lg.jpg/640px-Mitochondrial_DNA_lg.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Electron_microscopy_reveals_mitochondrial_DNA_in_discrete_foci.jpg/640px-Electron_microscopy_reveals_mitochondrial_DNA_in_discrete_foci.jpg)
Human mitochondrial DNA was the first significant part of the human genome to be sequenced.[4] This sequencing revealed that the human mtDNA includes 16,569 base pairs and encodes 13 proteins.
Since animal mtDNA evolves faster than nuclear genetic markers,[5][6][7] it represents a mainstay of phylogenetics and evolutionary biology. It also permits tracing the relationships of populations, and so has become important in anthropology and biogeography.