Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics02:59

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
Mitochondrial Membranes01:45

Mitochondrial Membranes

A single mitochondrion is a bean-shaped organelle enclosed by a double-membrane system. The outer membrane of mitochondria is smooth and contains many porins - the integral membrane transporters. Porins enable free diffusion of ions and small uncharged molecules through the outer mitochondrial membrane but limit the transport of molecules larger than 5000 Daltons. Further, the outer mitochondrial membrane forms a unique structure called membrane contact sites with other subcellular organelles,...
Mitochondrial Membranes01:45

Mitochondrial Membranes

A single mitochondrion is a bean-shaped organelle enclosed by a double-membrane system. The outer membrane of mitochondria is smooth and contains many porins - the integral membrane transporters. Porins enable free diffusion of ions and small uncharged molecules through the outer mitochondrial membrane but limit the transport of molecules larger than 5000 Daltons. Further, the outer mitochondrial membrane forms a unique structure called membrane contact sites with other subcellular organelles,...
Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes02:19

Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes

A eukaryotic cell can have up to three different types of genetic systems: nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast. During evolution, organelles have exported many genes to the nucleus; this transfer is still ongoing in some plant species. Approximately 18% of the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear genome is thought to be derived from the chloroplast’s cyanobacterial ancestor, and around 75% of the yeast genome derived from the mitochondria’s bacterial ancestor. This export has occurred irrespective...
Mitochondrial Protein Sorting01:39

Mitochondrial Protein Sorting

Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles of the eukaryotes involved in cellular metabolism, signaling, ATP synthesis, and programmed cell death.  Each of these processes requires specific proteins and enzymes that must be correctly sorted to the right mitochondrial subcompartment for the proper functioning of the organelle.
Most of these mitochondrial proteins are encoded by the nucleus and imported to the mitochondria as unfolded or loosely folded precursors. Mitochondrial precursors...
Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes02:16

Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes

The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Isolation and Cultivation of Diplonemids.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same author

Assembly and Annotation of Kinetoplastid and Diplonemid Mitochondrial Genomes.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same author

Genetic Manipulation of Paradiplonema papillatum.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same author

Biochemistry of Diplonemids.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same author

Eukan: a fully automated nuclear genome annotation pipeline for less studied and divergent eukaryotes.

NAR genomics and bioinformatics·2026
Same author

The mitochondrial proteome of diplonemids: from conventional pathways to eccentric RNA editing and transcript processing.

BMC genomics·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing
07:24

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing

Published on: February 10, 2023

Systematically fragmented genes in a multipartite mitochondrial genome.

Cestmir Vlcek1, William Marande, Shona Teijeiro

  • 1Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Department of Genomics and Bioinformatics, 142 20 Prague, Czech Republic.

Nucleic Acids Research
|October 12, 2010
PubMed
Summary

The bizarre mitochondrial DNA of Diplonema papillatum features 11 genes, all fragmented into modules. These modules are transcribed and joined by trans-splicing, offering insights into mitochondrial gene expression.

More Related Videos

Methodology for Accurate Detection of Mitochondrial DNA Methylation
12:11

Methodology for Accurate Detection of Mitochondrial DNA Methylation

Published on: May 20, 2018

Analysis of the Expression and Complexes Assembly of the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Proteins in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe
08:07

Analysis of the Expression and Complexes Assembly of the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Proteins in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Published on: May 2, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing
07:24

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing

Published on: February 10, 2023

Methodology for Accurate Detection of Mitochondrial DNA Methylation
12:11

Methodology for Accurate Detection of Mitochondrial DNA Methylation

Published on: May 20, 2018

Analysis of the Expression and Complexes Assembly of the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Proteins in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe
08:07

Analysis of the Expression and Complexes Assembly of the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Proteins in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Published on: May 2, 2025

Area of Science:

  • * Molecular Biology
  • * Evolutionary Biology
  • * Genomics

Background:

  • * The mitochondrial genome of Diplonema papillatum is highly unusual, consisting of numerous small circular chromosomes.
  • * No single chromosome appears to encode a complete gene, with coding sequences fragmented into modules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To determine the total number of genes encoded by Diplonema mtDNA.
  • * To investigate if all these genes are fragmented and their transcripts undergo trans-splicing.

Main Methods:

  • * Utilized sensitive protein profile search algorithms to identify gene modules.
  • * Compared genomic sequences with complementary DNA (cDNA) sequences.
  • * Analyzed sequence divergence of Diplonema mitochondrial genes.

Main Results:

  • * Identified 11 typical mitochondrial genes within the Diplonema mtDNA.
  • * Found that 10 protein-coding genes are systematically fragmented into 3-12 modules (60-350 bp).
  • * Confirmed that all 10 protein-coding gene transcripts are trans-spliced.
  • * Detected only the 3'-module of the large subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA); the small subunit rRNA gene remains undiscovered.

Conclusions:

  • * Diplonema papillatum exhibits extensive gene fragmentation and trans-splicing in its mitochondrial genome.
  • * The findings raise new questions regarding the biochemistry and evolutionary origins of mitochondrial trans-splicing.