Premium
Stoichiometric differences in DNA molecules containing the atpA gene suggest mechanisms for the generation of mitochondrial genome diversity in maize
Author(s) -
Small Ian D.,
Isaac Peter G.,
Leaver Christopher J.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb04832.x
Subject(s) - biology , mitochondrial dna , genetics , gene , genome , southern blot , mitochondrion , dna , restriction map , protein subunit , microbiology and biotechnology , nucleic acid sequence
Four genomic arrangements of the maize mitochondrial atpA gene (encoding the α subunit of the F 1 ATPase), have been characterized. Most N (fertile) and S (male‐sterile) cytoplasms contain two atpA arrangements of equal abundance. Prolonged exposure of blots of maize mitochondrial DNA probed with atpA ‐specific sequences show that cytoplasms previously reported to lack one of the atpA arrangements do contain the second arrangement but at low levels. Similarly, restriction fragments containing the atpA gene previously thought unique to male‐sterile S and T cytoplasms are present in low abundance in fertile cytoplasms. These observations suggest that fertile and male‐sterile cytoplasms of maize may be more closely related than previously thought, and suggest possible mechanisms to explain the observed mitochondrial genome diversity.