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Do angiosperms with highly divergent mitochondrial genomes have altered mitochondrial function?

Justin C Havird1, Gregory R Noe2, Luke Link2

  • 1Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA.

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Mitochondrial (mt) genomes in Silene species, despite unusual structures, maintain normal respiration. This suggests strong selection or nuclear coevolution preserves essential mt functions in plants.

Keywords:
Alternative NADH dehydrogenaseCytonuclear interactionsFlux control factorMitochondrial respirationOroboros Oxygraph 2KSUIT protocol

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Molecular Evolution
  • Mitochondrial Genomics

Background:

  • Angiosperm mitochondrial (mt) genes typically evolve slowly, but some lineages exhibit rapid evolution and altered genome structures.
  • While molecular evolution in these lineages is studied, their mitochondrial function remains poorly understood.
  • Previous research hinted at altered respiration in some taxa, but mt variation might be neutral in others.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and apply a novel protocol for characterizing respiration in isolated plant mitochondria.
  • To investigate inter- and intraspecific variation in mitochondrial function in Silene species with large and fragmented mt genomes.
  • To compare mitochondrial function in Silene with peculiar mt genomes to angiosperms with typical mt genomes.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a new protocol for assessing respiration in isolated plant mitochondria.
  • Application of the protocol alongside plant fitness measures, cytochrome c oxidase activity assays, and fluorescence microscopy.
  • Characterization of variations in mitochondrial function within and between Silene species.

Main Results:

  • Mitochondrial respiratory flux contributions from OXPHOS complexes, alternative oxidase, and external NADH dehydrogenases were comparable to typical angiosperms.
  • Inter- and intraspecific variations in mitochondrial function were observed and partially explained.
  • Silene species with highly unusual mt genomes demonstrated relatively normal mitochondrial respiration.

Conclusions:

  • Despite significant variations in mitochondrial genome structure and size, Silene species exhibit largely normal mitochondrial respiration.
  • The maintenance of normal mitochondrial function may be attributed to strong purifying selection on mitochondrial variants, coevolution with nuclear genomes, or both.
  • Further comparative studies are needed to explore these mechanisms in other lineages with unusual mitogenomes.