ABSTRACT
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, generating over 90% of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) required for the normal cell functioning. Recent data indicates horizontal transfer of mitochondria as a mechanism of inter-cellular signaling in normal and pathological conditions. The potential of the environmental mutagens to induce translocation of the mtDNA in the nuclear genome, defined as numtomutagenesis, has been demonstrated. FISH enables the detection of mtDNA on a single-cell level in any cells. Slides for FISH analysis of numtomutagenesis can be prepared from both heparinized whole blood or blood collected in EDTA containing vacutainers. Although mtDNA-FISH is applicable for both interphase nuclei and metaphase chromosomes, the analysis of insertions of mtDNA in nDNA using metaphase chromosomes is recommended.
