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GLOSSARY
Maternal inheritance
A form of inheritance in which a trait is only inherited from the mother. Maternal inheritance may be due to substances present in the egg, in the womb, or in subcellular structures called mitochondria. Mitochondria contain some of their own DNA, mutations in which can cause disease. Because the sperm have no mitochondria, people get all of their mitochondria through the mother's egg. If the mother has mitochondria with a disease-causing mutation, that disease can be passed on to the children. One example of a maternally inherited diseases is a form of diabetes call maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD).
Gene, Inherit
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