T4D™

mtDNA testing

mtDNA testing and its usage

In order to determine which part of the DNA has been inherited from the mother, you need to use mtDNA testing, or also known as Mitochondrial DNA testing which was discovered in 1963. It represents the part of the DNA that is transmitted from mother to her child, whether it is a male or a female. So basically it is something that any child shares with his mother, as the mother shares it with that of her mother and so on. This is happening during the fertilization process where the tail of the man's sperm that contains the DNA is left behind, and only that of the female is passed on to the offspring. Nowadays, DNA testing is of great value and is used in many domains, mostly forensics. It is also a great tool that provides accurate answers to any genealogy issue and also for those who want to trace their roots.

Found within each of the cells of the body, the Mitochondria is used to determine maternal ancestry. Its main function is to provide the body with the sufficient amount of energy requirements for performing different physical tasks. But what holds the most interest for those who want to find out their ancestry is the way how the Mitochondria DNA is passed on throughout generations. Since mtDNA gets passed only by females, whether male or female, each person receives it from his/her mother. So basically this way the genetic material is copied throughout the direct maternal line. Only every couple of thousands of years a new branch is formed and those people with small differences in their DNA are a part of the same root.

This testing was first pioneered in the 1980s by a well-known doctor in order to determine the parents of a child in the unknown cases. The branches of mtDNA are also known as haplogroups and they determine your line of ancestry conclusively. Over the years, most people that traveled around the world, either for war or invasion, they spread their haplogroups and also developed new ones. In the present days, in many different parts of the world, there are different haplogroups. By taking the DNA test you can get one step closer to determining where your original maternal ancestor are from and your own haplogroups. It is believed in many cultures that women are more mobile than men, this is mostly because they travel when they get married from one part of the world to another or for several other reasons. This way, they carry their own haplogroups with them.

mtDNA testing offers people the opportunity to find where their maternal ancestor is hailed from. In addition, to helping you discover your family tree, it will also help you determine if your knowledge about your family ancestry is accurate. Also, in addition to the testing, it can be also used to find several mutations of the Mitochondria that can lead to adverse effects on the functions and development of the human body and its systems. These mutations have been observed in some of the common diseases like kidney failure, dementia, and diabetes.