Final answer:
Mitochondrial genes do not closely resemble eukaryotic nuclear genes, as they have a different structure, origin according to endosymbiosis theory, and contain only a small number of genes related to mitochondrial function.
Step-by-step explanation:
False, Mitochondrial genes do not closely resemble eukaryotic nuclear genes. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is distinct from nuclear DNA in several ways. Mitochondrial genes are primarily involved in the production of proteins for the electron transport chain which is integral to cellular respiration.
This theory suggests that mitochondria were once free-living prokaryotes that were engulfed by an ancestral eukaryotic cell. Additionally, mitochondria contain their own ribosomes that are more similar to those of prokaryotes than those found in eukaryotic cells. Despite some horizontal gene transfer events between mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA, these genomes are functionally and structurally distinct, with mitochondrial DNA being maternally inherited and encoding a small number of genes specifically related to its roles within the cell.