In doing my reading I can't figure out why Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy is much more prevalent among men than women. It is transmitted through the mitochondrial DNA, which of course comes from maternal origin, but it is NOT X-linked. So why the male predominance? Does anyone know?

that's the million dollar question. look at papers by newman and sadun. some hypothesize that in addition to a mitochondrial DNA component, there is a nuclear gene component that may protect females or make males more susceptible.

In doing my reading I can't figure out why Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy is much more prevalent among men than women. It is transmitted through the mitochondrial DNA, which of course comes from maternal origin, but it is NOT X-linked. So why the male predominance? Does anyone know?

Thanks!
At least I'm asking the right questions, even if they don't have perfect answers right now.