Mitochondrial DNA insertions in the nuclear genomes of maize (Zea mays ssp. mays)
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[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Mitochondria were derived from once free--living [alpha]-proteobacteria and became part of eukaryotic cells through endosymbiosis (Kleine et al. 2009). The movement of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) into the nucleus is a continuous process that has been recorded in many species (Hazkani--Covo et al. 2010). To examine the transfer of mtDNA to maize nuclear chromosomes, the maize mitochondrial genome has been separated into overlapping segments (Fauron 1988; Lough et al. 2008). These segments were then used to create probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments on chromosomes and fiber-FISH experiments on stretched chromatin fibers. The studies presented here show the dramatic intraspecific mtDNA insertion site variatio present in maize. The available B73 inbred line genomic sequence of a large chromosome 9L mtDNA insertion was also analyzed and found to be missing mtDNA sequences. When the B73 chromosome 9L mtDNA insertion was examined using fiber-FISH, the length of this site was estimated to be between 1.5-1.8 Mb. Examining mtDNA insertion sites in maize is an important step in understanding the transfer of organellar DNA to the nuclear genome and the evolution of the eukaryotic genome.
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