# Clones and organ transplants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clones-and-organ-transplants/688392 "2014-05-14T00:52:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clones-and-organ-transplants/688392/21 "2014-07-01T02:52:22Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Identical _twins_, yes, but artificial cloning can be different if you use nuclear DNA in a donor egg cell. In such a case the older DNA donor and the younger clone would have different mDNA, unless the donated egg also came from the DNA donor. > > It still shouldn’t affect organ donation, though, since as far as I know mDNA is not a factor in the immune reactions that affect whether a donated organ is rejected or accepted by the body. You have the same mDNA as any of your maternal siblings, your mother, and your mother’s siblings, as well as your cousins by your mother’s sisters, and your mother’s mother-- you get the idea. So if you are a man looking to clone yourself, and you want the clone to have your mDNA, you need an ovum from your sister, your mother, your girl cousin by your mother’s sister, etc. Some people might find that squicky. When I brought up the issue, I had no idea whether or not mDNA was a factor in organ rejection; if it’s not, no worries. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clones-and-organ-transplants/688392/22 "2014-07-01T18:30:20Z")
People love to bring up mtDNA in discussions like this, because it’s so oddball, but the fact is that it’s a tiny, tiny chunk of DNA compared to the nuclear DNA, and only contains a few handfuls of genes that only matter to the mitochondria themselves. For all practical purposes, it can be safely ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clones-and-organ-transplants/688392/23 "2014-07-02T00:58:45Z")
Well, it’s also useful for study. You can learn interesting things about the ancestry of an organism or group of organisms by looking at the mtDNA. Or, in this case, one might be able to distinguish between a clone and the original, if that were something that one cared to do. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clones-and-organ-transplants/688392/24 "2014-07-02T02:34:56Z")
There are disorders of the mitochondria that I think originate in the mDNA. They cause serious, usually lethal, disorders in children born with them. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. I got the information from parents of two such children. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clones-and-organ-transplants/688392/25 "2014-07-02T15:55:21Z")
Yes, those are both legitimate and valid reasons to care about mtDNA. I’m just saying that outside of those specialized contexts, people tend to bring mtDNA up a lot when it’s not really relevant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clones-and-organ-transplants/688392.md?page=1)