Nucleic Acids Research, 1985, Vol. 13, No. 23 8603-8610
© 1985
Articles |
Gene conversion as a mechanism for divergence of a chloroplast tRNA gene inserted in the mitochondrial genome of Brassica oleracea
Laboratoire Biologie Moléculaire Végétale, Bâtiment 430, Université Paris Sud 91405 Orsay, France
Received August 23, 1985. Revised October 15, 1985. Accepted October 25, 1985.
We have characterized a 1.7 kb sequence, containing a tRNA Leu2 gene shared by the ct and mt qenames of Brassica oleracea. The two sequences are completely homologous except in two short regions where two distinct gene conversion events have occured between two sets of direct repeats leading to the insertion of 5 bp in the T loop of the rat copy of the ct gene. This is the first evidence that gene conversion represents the initial evolutionary step in inactivation of transferred ct genes in the mt genome. We also indicate that organelle DNA transfer by organelle fusion is an ongoing process which could be useful in genetic engineering.