Can Green Algal Plastid Genome Size Be Explained by DNA Repair Mechanisms?

ABSTRACT: A major finding in organelle biology over the past decade is that land plant mitochondrial genomes, which are the largest among eukaryotes, can have a "Jekyll and Hyde" mutational pattern: low for synonymous sites, high for intergenic ones. This has led to the theory that double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the intergenic DNA of plant mitogenomes are repaired by inaccurate mechanisms, such as break-induced replication, which can result in large insertions and, thus, could explain why these genomes are so prone to expansion. But how universal is this theory? Can it apply to other giant organelle DNAs, such as the massive plastid DNAs (ptDNAs) of chlamydomonadalean green algae? Indeed, it can. Analysis of the expanded plastomes from two distinct isolates of the unicellular chlamydomonadalean Chlo

SUBMITTER: Smith DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7043297 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature