title: Nuclear genome diversity in somatic cells is accelerated by environmental stress.
abstract: DNA transfer to the nucleus from prokaryotic ancestors of the cytoplasmic organelles (mitochondria and plastids) has occurred during endosymbiotic evolution in eukaryotes. In most eukaryotes, organelle DNA transfer to nucleus is a continuing process. The frequency of DNA transposition from plastid (chloroplast) to nucleus has been measured in tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) experimentally. We have monitored the effects of environmental stress on the rate of DNA transfer from plastid to nucleus by exploiting nucleus-specific reporter genes in two transplastomic tobacco lines. DNA migration from plastids to the nucleus is markedly increased by mild heat stress. In addition, insertions of mitochondrial DNA into induced double-strand breaks are observed after heat treatment. These results show that movement of organelle DNA to the nucleus is remarkably increased by heat stress.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Genetics, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Jeremy N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Timmis
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics*; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000235:genetics*; D018742:DNA, Chloroplast / Q000378:metabolism*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D018745:Genome, Plant; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000235:genetics*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018742:DNA, Chloroplast; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial