Characteristics of Hypervariable Regions of Mitochondrial DNA in Korean Population

The nucleotide sequence of two hypervariable regions of the D-loop and the frequency of the 9-bp repeat in the region V of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were investigated in the Korean population. Alignment of these sequences with the published reference revealed a unique pattern of base substitution and deletion compared with those of other races. The deletion and addition frequency of the 9-bp repeat in the region V was also distinct.