Genes encoding pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are not conserved in location in plant genomes and may be subject to diversifying selection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) is a degenerate 35 amino acid motif that occurs in multiple tandem copies in members of a recently recognized eukaryotic gene family. Most analyzed eukaryotic genomes contain only a small number of PPR genes, but in plants the family is greatly expanded. The factors that underlie the expansion of this gene family in plants are not as yet understood.

Results

We show that the location of PPR genes is highly variable in comparisons between orthologous, closely related, and otherwise co-linear chromosomal regions of the Brassica rapa or radish and Arabidopsis thaliana. This observation also pertains to paralogous duplicated segments of the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa. In addition, we show that PPR genes that see

SUBMITTER: Geddy R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1892557 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature