Artifacts in single-cell mitochondrial DNA mutation analyses misinform phylogenetic inference.

A recent preprint abstract challenges the current understanding of using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants to reconstruct cellular phylogenies. The study found that shared mtDNA variants between cells are disproportionately detected in a single molecule per cell and are enriched at the edges of mtDNA molecules, suggesting that they may be artifacts. The authors caution against using mtDNA variant calling workflows that rely on minimal evidence, as these artifacts can lead to the construction of false phylogenies. It is important to note that this preprint has not yet undergone peer review. [Extracted from the article]