Horizontal transfer of the cox1 gene and its homing group I intron among flowering plants

SÁNCHEZ PUERTA, M. V., Y. CHO, J.P, MOWER, A.J. ALVERSON & J.D. PALMER.

Halifax, Canada

Congreso; Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) Annual Meeting; 2007

Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common among plant mitochondrial genomes; however, the first well-established case of HGT in plants involved a group I intron in the mitochondrial cox1 gene. Greater sampling among angiosperms unveils a complex pattern of recent and repeated transfer of the cox1 gene and its self-splicing intron aided by the intron-encoded homing endonuclease. An in-depth look at four angiosperm families (Plantaginaceae, Rhamnaceae, Lecythidaceae, Marantaceae) reveals intron losses, a surprising number of transfers among closely related species, and different mechanisms of acquisition. We also discovered evidence for the first case of functional HGT in plants.