The Plant Mitochondrial Genome: Homologous Recombination as a Mechanism for Generating Heterogeneity
The mitochondrial genomes of higher plants are among the largest and most complex organelle genomes described. They are generally multicircular or partly linear; in some species, extrachromosomal plasmids are present. It is proposed that inter- and intramolecular homologous recombination can account...
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| Published in | Philosophical transactions. Biological sciences Vol. 319; no. 1193; p. 149 |
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| Main Authors | , , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
The Royal Society
31.05.1988
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| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The mitochondrial genomes of higher plants are among the largest and most complex organelle genomes described. They are generally
multicircular or partly linear; in some species, extrachromosomal plasmids are present. It is proposed that inter- and intramolecular
homologous recombination can account for the diversity of the observed genome organizations. The ability of mitochondria to
fuse establishes a panmictic mitochondrial DNA population which is in recombinational equilibrium. It is suggested that this
suppresses the base mutation rate, and unequal partitioning of the cytoplasm during cell division can lead to the rapid evolution
of mitochondrial genome structure. This contrasts with the observed rates of base-sequence and genome evolution in chloroplasts.
This difference can be accounted for solely by the inability of chloroplasts to fuse, thereby preventing chloroplast genome
panmixis. |
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| ISSN: | 0962-8436 1471-2970 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rstb.1988.0039 |