Intronic GIY-YIG endonuclease gene in the mitochondrial genome of Podospora curvicolla: evidence for mobility.
Endonuclease genes encoded in invasive introns are themselves supposed to be mobile elements which, during evolution, have colonized pre-existing introns converting them into invasive elements. This hypothesis is supported by numerous data concerning the LAGLI-DADG subclass of intronic endonucleases. Less is known about the GIY-YIG ORFs which constitute another family of endonucleases. In this paper we describe the presence of one optional GIY-YIG ORF in the second intron of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in the fungus Podospora curvicolla. We show that this GIY-YIG ORF is efficiently transferred from an ORF-containing intron to an ORF-less allele. We also show that the products of both the GIY-YIG ORF and the non-canonical LAGLI-DADG-GIY-YIG ORF, which is generated by its integration, have endonuclease activities which recognize and cut the insertion site of the optional sequence. This constitutes the first direct evidence for potential mobility of an intronic GIY-YIG endonuclease. We discuss the role that such a mobile sequence could have played during evolution.
Saguez
C
C
Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif Sur Yvette Cedex, France.
Lecellier
G
G
Koll
F
F
D000483:Alleles; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002459:Cell Fusion; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005800:Genes, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D020071:Interspersed Repetitive Sequences / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D020037:Sordariales / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D004720:Endonucleases