Abstract
BackgroundAlthough rapid changes in copy number and gene order are common within plant mitochondrial genomes, associated patterns of gene transcription are underinvestigated. Previous studies have shown that the gynodioecious plant species Silene vulgaris exhibits high mitochondrial diversity and occasional paternal inheritance of mitochondrial markers. Here we address whether variation in DNA molecular markers is correlated with variation in transcription of mitochondrial genes in S. vulgaris collected from natural populations.ResultsWe analyzed RFLP variation in two mitochondrial genes, cox1 and atp1, in offspring of ten plants from a natural population of S. vulgaris in Central Europe. We also investigated transcription profiles of the atp1 and cox1 genes. Most DNA haplotypes and transcription profiles were maternally inherited; for these, transcription profiles were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. One individual exhibited a pattern consistent with paternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA; this individual exhibited a transcription profile suggestive of paternal but inconsistent with maternal inheritance. We found no associations between gender and transcript profiles.ConclusionsSpecific transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of a gynodioecious species S. vulgaris.Our findings suggest the potential for a causal association between rearrangements in the plant mt genome and transcription product variation.
Highlights
Rapid changes in copy number and gene order are common within plant mitochondrial genomes, associated patterns of gene transcription are underinvestigated
Because the mother plants shared mt markers with the majority of offspring and the Southern-RFLP band intensity was strong in all cases, we interpret these patterns as either evidence of paternal transmission from unknown pollen donor in natural population, or a sudden increase in genome copy number by means of lineage sorting or substoichiometric shifting
Trancription profiles correlate with mt DNA haplotypes We have shown that variation in transcription profiles for atp1 and cox1 were correlated with mt DNA sequence variation in individuals from a single population of S. vulgaris in central Czech Republic
Summary
Rapid changes in copy number and gene order are common within plant mitochondrial genomes, associated patterns of gene transcription are underinvestigated. We address whether variation in DNA molecular markers is correlated with variation in transcription of mitochondrial genes in S. vulgaris collected from natural populations. Despite numerous investigations of the structure and dynamics of the plant mitochondrial (mt) genome over the last decades, little is known about whether patterns of DNA sequence variation are associated with variation in transcription products in plants from natural populations. Plant mt genomes are known to rapidly change copy number and gene order, which results in insertions and deletions in both functional and non functional regions. There has been very little investigation of naturally occurring variation in transcript sizes and whether this variation is related to mt genome arrangements for any species
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