RNA editing of the ribosomal protein S13 transcripts in magnolia and sunflower mitochondria

To obtain information on ribosomal protein gene content and RNA editing in plant mitochondria, we investigated the conservation of the gene for ribosomal protein S13 (rps13) in the mitochondrial genomes of Magnolia spp. and Helianthus annuus. A complete rps13 open reading frame was identified in the mitochondrial genome of Magnolia and Helianthus. Comparison of genomic and cDNA sequences revealed that transcripts from the mitochondrial rps13 locus in both Magnolia and Helianthus undergo RNA editing suggesting the functionality of the related gene. Six and four editing events in the rps13 transcript population of Magnolia and Helianthus mitochondria, respectively, cause critical changes of codons and, consequently, induce 5 and 3.4% amino acid modifications in the respective genomically-encoded S13 polypeptides. Both editing pattern and efficiency of RNA editing differ in the reverse transcription (RT)-PCR-derived cDNA populations from the rps13 locus from the analyzed plant species with only the Magnolia rps13 being fully edited.