title: Interspecific transfer of mitochondrial genes in fungi and creation of a homologous hybrid gene.
abstract: In eukaryotes, horizontal gene transfer is a rare event. Here we show that the mitochondrial genome of a lower fungus, Allomyces macrogynus, has an extra DNA segment not present in a close relative, Allomyces arbusculus. This insert consists of the C terminus of a foreign gene encoding a subunit of the ATP synthetase complex (atp6) plus an open reading frame encoding an endonuclease. The inserted atp6 portion is fused in phase to the resident gene, resulting in expression of a hybrid atp6 gene and the displacement of the original C-terminal atp6 region. We present evidence that this insertion may have been acquired by interspecific transfer and we discuss the possible role of the endonuclease in this process.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biochimie, Université de Montréal, PQ, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paquin
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Laforest
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D008411:Chytridiomycota / Q000235:genetics*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D006180:Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D006180:Proton-Translocating ATPases