Transcription of plastid-derived tRNA genes in rice mitochondria

Previous investigations located nine of the genes for rice tRNAs on plastid (pt)-derived sequences in mitochondrial DNA. In the present study, we examined whether these genes were also transcribed in rice mitochondria. Northern-blot hybridization revealed that seven of these genes (trnC, trnF, trnH, trnM, trnN, trnS and trnW) are transcribed and are precisely processed to mature tRNAs. One of the other two genes (trnP) is transcribed but cannot be processed efficiently, while the other (trnR), which has 100% identity to the original plastid tRNAArg gene, is not transcribed in rice mitochondria. These results suggest that seven of the nine pt-derived tRNAs may be utilized for the biosynthesis of protein in plant mitochondria.