title: Horizontal transfer of entire genomes via mitochondrial fusion in the angiosperm Amborella.
abstract: We report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the flowering plant Amborella trichopoda. This enormous, 3.9-megabase genome contains six genome equivalents of foreign mitochondrial DNA, acquired from green algae, mosses, and other angiosperms. Many of these horizontal transfers were large, including acquisition of entire mitochondrial genomes from three green algae and one moss. We propose a fusion-compatibility model to explain these findings, with Amborella capturing whole mitochondria from diverse eukaryotes, followed by mitochondrial fusion (limited mechanistically to green plant mitochondria) and then genome recombination. Amborella's epiphyte load, propensity to produce suckers from wounds, and low rate of mitochondrial DNA loss probably all contribute to the high level of foreign DNA in its mitochondrial genome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Danny W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Alverson
authors.forename: Aaron O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: M Virginia
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Puerta
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Munzinger
authors.forename: Kerrie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Jeffrey L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Boore
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Claude W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: dePamphilis
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Palmer
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D044002:Bryophyta / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D063154:Mitochondrial Dynamics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D064028:Tracheophyta / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial