Reference "The complete sequence of the rice (Oryza sativa) chloroplast genome: intermolecular recombination between distinct tRNA genes accounts for a major plastid DNA inversion during the evolution of the cereals"

Reference ID

1434

Title

The complete sequence of the rice (Oryza sativa) chloroplast genome: intermolecular recombination between distinct tRNA genes accounts for a major plastid DNA inversion during the evolution of the cereals

Source

Molecular & General Genetics, 1989, vol. 217, pp. 185-194

Authors (10)

Hiratsuka-J	Shimada-H
Whittier-R	Ishibashi-T
Sakamoto-M	Mori-M
Kondo-C	Honji-Y
Sun-C-R	Meng-B-Y

Abstract

The entire chloroplast genome of the monocot rice (Oryza sativa) has been
sequenced and comprises 134525 bp. Predicted genes have been identified along
with open reading frames (ORFs) conserved between rice and the previously
sequenced chloroplast genomes, a dicot, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and a
liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha). The same complement of 30 tRNA and 4 rRNA
genes has been conserved between rice and tobacco. Most ORFs extensively
conserved between N. tabacum and M. polymorpha are also conserved intact in
rice. However, several such ORFs are entirely absent in rice, or present only in
severely truncated form. Structural changes are also apparent in the genome
relative to tobacco. The inverted repeats, characteristic of chloroplast genome
structure, have expanded outward to include several genes present only once per
genome in tobacco and liverwort and the large single copy region has undergone a
series of inversions which predate the divergence of the cereals. A chimeric
tRNA pseudogene overlaps an apparent endpoint of the largest inversion, and a
model invoking illegitimate recombination between tRNA genes is proposed which
accounts simultaneously for the origin of this pseudogene, the large inversion
and the creation of repeated sequences near the inversion endpoints.