Partial Addition of Parental Mt Subgenomes

- Leading to Novel Configurations: Mt Types "R1" and "R2". 

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The autoradiography shows signals of probe m100 with total DNA from hybrids cut with EcoRI (lane1-10). Probe m100 contains rpl5, rps14 and cob gene. Lane 12 and 13 represent fusion parents mt types a and b. The different banding patterns detect the origin a or b of the corresponding genome regions in the hybrids. R1 and R2 identify the generated recombination types. The formation of novel mitochondrial genomes in somatic hybrids is explained in a schematic model.

In the present study the rearrangements generated novel configurations between plastomes and chondriomes, such as mt types R1 and R2, which were not observed in the mt genomes of 200 different clones representing different evolutionary branches. Moreover in view of the multiple copies of ´normal´ mt chromosomes in a single cell it remains unknown, in which manner just a distinct recombined mt type asserts itself during regeneration phase. The results show, that both parents can contribute to the new mt genome of the hybrid regenerant. Partial addition of parental mt genome regions indicate that subunits of the mitochondrial chromosome coexist with the main chromosome of these organelles.

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