Evidence for horizontal transfer of mitochondrial DNA to the plastid genome in a bamboo genus

• DOI: 10.1038/srep11608
• Publication Date: 2015-06-23T11:40:20Z
• Authors: Peng-Fei Ma; Yu-Xiao Zhang; Zhen-Hua Guo; De-Zhu Li
• Keywords: Horizontal Gene Transfer

Abstract In flowering plants, three genomes (nuclear, mitochondrial and plastid) coexist intracellular horizontal transfer of DNA is prevalent, especially from the plastid to mitochondrion genome. However, are generally conserved in evolution have long been considered immune foreign DNA. Recently, opposite direction genome has reported two eudicot lineages. Here we sequenced 6 bamboos, which neotropical woody species herbaceous ones. Several unusual features were found, including duplication trnT-GGU loss one copy rps19 due contraction inverted repeats (IRs). The most intriguing was ~2.7 kb insertion IR regions bamboos. Furthermore, documented be horizontally transferred Our study provided evidence mitochondrial-to-plastid monocots, demonstrating again that this rare event does occur other angiosperm mechanism underlying remains obscure more studies plants may elucidate it future.