title: Contribution of ultra-short invasive elements to the evolution of the mitochondrial genome in the genus Podospora.
abstract: In the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina, senescence is associated with major rearrangements of the mitochondrial DNA. The undecamer GGCGCAAGCTC has been described as a preferential site for these recombination events. We show that: (i) copies of this short sequence GGCGCAAGCTC are present in unexpectedly high numbers in the mitochondrial genome of this fungus; (ii) a short cluster of this sequence, localised in a group II intronic ORF, encodes amino acids that disrupt a protein domain that is otherwise highly conserved between various species; (iii) most of the polymorphisms observed between three related species, P.anserina, P.curvicolla and P.comata, are associated with the presence/absence of this sequence; (iv) this element lies at the boundaries of major rearrangements of the mitochondrial genomes; (v) at least two other short elements in the Podospora mitochondrial genomes display similar features. We suggest that these short elements, called MUSEs (mitochondrial ultra-short elements), could be mobile and that they contribute to evolution of the mitochondrial genome in the genus Podospora. A model for mobility involving a target DNA-primed reverse transcription step is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Gif sur Yvette, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Koll
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boulay
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Belcour
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: d'Aubenton-Carafa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal