Mitochondrial RNA editing of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II ( coxII) in the primitive vascular plant Psilotum nudum

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta Vol. 1218; no. 2; pp. 218 - 220
• Main Authors: Sper-Whitis, Ginger L., Russell, Allyson L., Vaughn, Jack C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 21.06.1994; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Classical genetics, quantitative genetics, hybrids; coxII gene; cytochrome-c oxidase; Electron Transport Complex IV - chemistry; Electron Transport Complex IV - genetics; embl/x74310; ferns and fern allies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; genbank/x74310; genes; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; mitochondria; Mitochondria - enzymology; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleotide sequences; Plant mitochondrion; Plants - enzymology; Plants - genetics; Polypodiopsida; Psilotum nudum; Pteridophyta, spermatophyta; RNA Editing; spores; stems; Vegetals; RNA editing; coxII gene; Plant mitochondrion; Psilotum nudum; Molecular evolution; Mitochondria; Messenger RNA; Enzyme; Biological evolution; Cytochrome-c oxidase; Oxidoreductases; Pteridophyta; Subunit
• ISSN: 0167-4781; 0006-3002; 1879-2634; 1878-2434
• DOI: 10.1016/0167-4781(94)90016-7

A 634-nucleotide tract, including primers, was amplified via the polymerase chain reaction within a mitochondrial coxII gene of the primitive vascular plant Psilotum nudum and sequenced. Alignment with homologous coxII gene sequences from diverse plant species having known RNA editing sites which restore amino acid sequence consensus was used to infer eight sites of C-to-U transitions in Psilotum. In every case, the predicted editing event would confer the selective advantage of conserving the amino acid residue at a site where amino acid sequence divergence has not been observed in other plant species. The plant mitochondrial editing machinery is shown for the first time to extend to one of the deepest branches of vascular plant phylogeny.