Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the physical embodiment of the genetic information encoded in the mitochondrion. Technically, the term ‘mitochondrial DNA’ encompasses not only the mitochondrial genome per se, but additional DNA types (e.g., small linear plasmid-like DNAs) that are present in the mitochondria of some organisms. As its name implies, mtDNA is compartmentalized within the mitochondrion and is therefore physically and transcriptionally separate from the main nuclear genome of the eukaryotic cell. As well as being transcriptionally distinct from the nuclear genome, the mitochondrial genome and other types of mtDNA molecules are distinct in evolutionary origin, with the main mitochondrial genome having been derived from a eubacterial ancestor through a process of endosymbiosis.