Substoichiometric shifting in the plant mitochondrial genome is influenced by a gene homologous to MutS

Ricardo V. Abdelnoor, Ryan Yule, Annakaisa Elo, Alan C. Christensen, Gilbert Meyer-Gauen, Sally A. Mackenzie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

203 Scopus citations

Abstract

The plant mitochondrial genome is retained in a multipartite structure that arises by a process of repeat-mediated homologous recombination. Low-frequency ectopic recombination also occurs, often producing sequence chimeras, aberrant ORFs, and novel subgenomic DNA molecules. This genomic plasticity may distinguish the plant mitochondrion from mammalian and fungal types. In plants, relative copy number of recombination-derived subgenomic DNA molecules within mitochondria is controlled by nuclear genes, and a genomic shifting process can result in their differential copy number suppression to nearly undetectable levels. We have cloned a nuclear gene that regulates mitochondrial substoichiometric shifting in Arabidopsis. The CHM gene was shown to encode a protein related to the MutS protein of Escherichia coli that is involved in mismatch repair and DNA recombination. We postulate that the process of substoichiometric shifting in plants may be a consequence of ectopic recombination suppression or replication stalling at ectopic recombination sites to effect molecule-specific copy number modulation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5968-5973
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume100
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - May 13 2003

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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