Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Mitochondrial fostering: the mitochondrial genome may play a role in plant orphan gene evolution

Seth O’Conner, Ling Li
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.02.884874
Seth O’Conner
1Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Ling Li
1Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: liling@biology.msstate.edu
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Supplementary material
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

Plant mitochondrial genomes exhibit odd evolutionary patterns. They have a high rearrangement but low mutation rate, and a large size. Based on massive mitochondrial DNA transfers to the nucleus as well as the mitochondrial unique evolutionary traits, we propose a “Mitochondrial Fostering” theory where the organelle genome plays an integral role in the arrival and development of orphan genes (genes with no homologues in other lineages). Two approaches were used to test this theory: 1) bioinformatic analysis of nuclear mitochondrial DNA (Numts: mitochondrial originating DNA that has migrated to the nucleus) at the genome level, and 2) bioinformatic analysis of particular orphan sequences present in both the mitochondrial genome and the nuclear genome of Arabidopsis thaliana. One study example is given about one orphan sequence that codes for two unique orphan genes: one in the mitochondrial genome and another one in the nuclear genome. DNA alignments show regions of this A. thaliana orphan sequence exist scattered throughout other land plant mitochondrial genomes. This is consistent with the high recombination rates of mitochondrial genomes in land plants. This may also enable the creation of novel coding sequences within the orphan loci, which can then be transferred to the nuclear genome and become exposed to new evolutionary pressures. Our study also reveals a high correlation between mitochondrial DNA rate transferred to the nuclear genome and number of orphan genes in land plants. All the data suggests the mitochondrial genome may play a role in nuclear orphan gene evolution in land plants.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted January 02, 2020.
Download PDF

Supplementary Material

Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Mitochondrial fostering: the mitochondrial genome may play a role in plant orphan gene evolution
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
Mitochondrial fostering: the mitochondrial genome may play a role in plant orphan gene evolution
Seth O’Conner, Ling Li
bioRxiv 2020.01.02.884874; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.02.884874
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo LinkedIn logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Mitochondrial fostering: the mitochondrial genome may play a role in plant orphan gene evolution
Seth O’Conner, Ling Li
bioRxiv 2020.01.02.884874; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.02.884874

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Evolutionary Biology
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (3477)
  • Biochemistry (7316)
  • Bioengineering (5294)
  • Bioinformatics (20189)
  • Biophysics (9972)
  • Cancer Biology (7698)
  • Cell Biology (11243)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (6416)
  • Ecology (9912)
  • Epidemiology (2065)
  • Evolutionary Biology (13271)
  • Genetics (9347)
  • Genomics (12544)
  • Immunology (7667)
  • Microbiology (18928)
  • Molecular Biology (7415)
  • Neuroscience (40870)
  • Paleontology (298)
  • Pathology (1226)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (2125)
  • Physiology (3138)
  • Plant Biology (6836)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (1268)
  • Synthetic Biology (1891)
  • Systems Biology (5295)
  • Zoology (1083)