Nucleotide sequence of the cox3 gene from Chondrus crispus: evidence that UGA encodes tryptophan and evolutionary implications

Origin of minicircular mitochondrial genomes in red algae

Eukaryotic organelle genomes are generally of conserved size and gene content within phylogenetic groups. However, significant variation in genome structure may occur. Here, we report that the Stylonematophyceae red algae contain multipartite circular mitochondrial genomes (i.e., minicircles) which encode one or two genes bounded by a specific cassette and a conserved constant region. These minicircles are visualized using fluorescence microscope and scanning electron microscope, proving the circularity. Mitochondrial gene sets are reduced in these highly divergent mitogenomes. Newly generated chromosome-level nuclear genome assembly of Rhodosorus marinus reveals that most mitochondrial ribosomal subunit genes are transferred to the nuclear genome. Hetero-concatemers that resulted from recombination between minicircles and unique gene inventory that is responsible for mitochondrial genome stability may explain how the transition from typical mitochondrial genome to minicircles occurs. Our results offer inspiration on minicircular organelle genome formation and highlight an extreme case of mitochondrial gene inventory reduction.

Potential causes and consequences of rapid mitochondrial genome evolution in thermoacidophilic Galdieria (Rhodophyta)

BACKGROUND

The Cyanidiophyceae is an early-diverged red algal class that thrives in extreme conditions around acidic hot springs. Although this lineage has been highlighted as a model for understanding the biology of extremophilic eukaryotes, little is known about the molecular evolution of their mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes).

RESULTS

To fill this knowledge gap, we sequenced five mitogenomes from representative clades of Cyanidiophyceae and identified two major groups, here referred to as Galdieria-type (G-type) and Cyanidium-type (C-type). G-type mitogenomes exhibit the following three features: (i) reduction in genome size and gene inventory, (ii) evolution of unique protein properties including charge, hydropathy, stability, amino acid composition, and protein size, and (iii) distinctive GC-content and skewness of nucleotides. Based on GC-skew-associated characteristics, we postulate that unidirectional DNA replication may have resulted in the rapid evolution of G-type mitogenomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The high divergence of G-type mitogenomes was likely driven by natural selection in the multiple extreme environments that Galdieria species inhabit combined with their highly flexible heterotrophic metabolism. We speculate that the interplay between mitogenome divergence and adaptation may help explain the dominance of Galdieria species in diverse extreme habitats.

Complete Plastid Genome of the Brown Alga Costaria costata (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae)

Costaria costata is a commercially and industrially important brown alga. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing to determine the complete plastid genome of C. costata. The genome consists of a 129,947 bp circular DNA molecule with an A+T content of 69.13% encoding a standard set of six ribosomal RNA genes, 27 transfer RNA genes, and 137 protein-coding genes with two conserved open reading frames (ORFs). The overall genome structure of C. costata is nearly the same as those of Saccharina japonica and Undaria pinnatifida. The plastid genomes of these three algal species retain a strong conservation of the GTG start codon while infrequently using TGA as a stop codon. In this regard, they differ substantially from the plastid genomes of Ectocarpus siliculosus and Fucus vesiculosus. Analysis of the nucleic acid substitution rates of the Laminariales plastid genes revealed that the petF gene has the highest substitution rate and the petN gene contains no substitution over its complete length. The variation in plastid genes between C. costata and S. japonica is lower than that between C. costata and U. pinnatifida as well as that between U. pinnatifida and S. japonica. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that C. costata and U. pinnatifida have a closer genetic relationship. We also identified two gene length mutations caused by the insertion or deletion of repeated sequences, which suggest a mechanism of gene length mutation that may be one of the key explanations for the genetic variation in plastid genomes.

Ancient DNA sequence revealed by error-correcting codes

A previously described DNA sequence generator algorithm (DNA-SGA) using error-correcting codes has been employed as a computational tool to address the evolutionary pathway of the genetic code. The code-generated sequence alignment demonstrated that a residue mutation revealed by the code can be found in the same position in sequences of distantly related taxa. Furthermore, the code-generated sequences do not promote amino acid changes in the deviant genomes through codon reassignment. A Bayesian evolutionary analysis of both code-generated and homologous sequences of the Arabidopsis thaliana malate dehydrogenase gene indicates an approximately 1 MYA divergence time from the MDH code-generated sequence node to its paralogous sequences. The DNA-SGA helps to determine the plesiomorphic state of DNA sequences because a single nucleotide alteration often occurs in distantly related taxa and can be found in the alternative codon patterns of noncanonical genetic codes. As a consequence, the algorithm may reveal an earlier stage of the evolution of the standard code.

The mitochondrial genome of Grateloupia taiwanensis (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta) and comparative mitochondrial genomics of red algae

Although red algae are economically highly valuable for their gelatinous cell wall compounds as well as being integral parts of marine benthic habitats, very little genome data are currently available. We present mitochondrial genome sequence data from the red alga Grateloupia taiwanensis S.-M. Lin & H.-Y. Liang. Comprising 28,906 nucleotide positions, the mitochondrial genome contig contains 25 protein-coding genes and 24 transfer RNA genes. It is highly similar to other red algal genomes in gene content as well as overall structure. An intron in the cox1 gene was found to be shared by G. taiwanensis and Grateloupia angusta (Okamura) S. Kawaguchi & H. W. Wang. We also used whole-genome alignments to compare G. taiwanensis to different groups of red algae, and these results are consistent with the currently accepted phylogeny of Rhodophyta.

Complete sequences of the mitochondrial DNA of the wild Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis and two mutagenic cultivated breeds (Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta)

The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis was sequenced (25883 bp) and mapped to a circular model. The A+T composition was 72.5%. Forty six genes and two potentially functional open reading frames were identified. They include 24 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 20 tRNA genes and 2 ORFs (orf60, orf142). There is considerable sequence synteny across the five red algal mtDNAs falling into Florideophyceae including Gr. lemaneiformis in this study and previously sequenced species. A long stem-loop and a hairpin structure were identified in intergenic regions of mt genome of Gr. lemaneiformis, which are believed to be involved with transcription and replication. In addition, the mtDNAs of two mutagenic cultivated breeds (“981” and “07-2”) were also sequenced. Compared with the mtDNA of wild Gr. lemaneiformis, the genome size and gene length and order of three strains were completely identical except nine base mutations including eight in the protein-coding genes and one in the tRNA gene. None of the base mutations caused frameshift or a premature stop codon in the mtDNA genes. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial protein-coding genes and rRNA genes demonstrated Gracilariopsis andersonii had closer phylogenetic relationship with its parasite Gracilariophila oryzoides than Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis which was from the same genus of Gracilariopsis.

Dinoflagellate mitochondrial genomes: stretching the rules of molecular biology

Mitochondrial genomes represent relict bacterial genomes derived from a progenitor alpha-proteobacterium that gave rise to all mitochondria through an ancient endosymbiosis. Evolution has massively reduced these genomes, yet despite relative simplicity their organization and expression has developed considerable novelty throughout eukaryotic evolution. Few organisms have reengineered their mitochondrial genomes as thoroughly as the protist lineage of dinoflagellates. Recent work reveals dinoflagellate mitochondrial genomes as likely the most gene-impoverished of any free-living eukaryote, encoding only two to three proteins. The organization and expression of these genomes, however, is far from the simplicity their gene content would suggest. Gene duplication, fragmentation, and scrambling have resulted in an inflated and complex genome organization. Extensive RNA editing then recodes gene transcripts, and trans-splicing is required to assemble full-length transcripts for at least one fragmented gene. Even after these processes, messenger RNAs (mRNAs) lack canonical start codons and most transcripts have abandoned stop codons altogether.

Mitochondrial Genetic Codes Evolve to Match Amino Acid Requirements of Proteins

Mitochondria often use genetic codes different from the standard genetic code. Now that many mitochondrial genomes have been sequenced, these variant codes provide the first opportunity to examine empirically the processes that produce new genetic codes. The key question is: Are codon reassignments the sole result of mutation and genetic drift? Or are they the result of natural selection? Here we present an analysis of 24 phylogenetically independent codon reassignments in mitochondria. Although the mutation-drift hypothesis can explain reassignments from stop to an amino acid, we found that it cannot explain reassignments from one amino acid to another. In particular--and contrary to the predictions of the mutation-drift hypothesis--the codon involved in such a reassignment was not rare in the ancestral genome. Instead, such reassignments appear to take place while the codon is in use at an appreciable frequency. Moreover, the comparison of inferred amino acid usage in the ancestral genome with the neutral expectation shows that the amino acid gaining the codon was selectively favored over the amino acid losing the codon. These results are consistent with a simple model of weak selection on the amino acid composition of proteins in which codon reassignments are selected because they compensate for multiple slightly deleterious mutations throughout the mitochondrial genome. We propose that the selection pressure is for reduced protein synthesis cost: most reassignments give amino acids that are less expensive to synthesize. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that mitochondrial genetic codes evolve to match the amino acid requirements of proteins.

Complete sequence of the mitochondrial DNA of the red alga Porphyra purpurea. Cyanobacterial introns and shared ancestry of red and green algae

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Porphyra purpurea, a circular-mapping genome of 36,753 bp, has been completely sequenced. A total of 57 densely packed genes has been identified, including the basic set typically found in animals and fungi, as well as seven genes characteristic of protist and plant mtDNAs and specifying ribosomal proteins and subunits of succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase. The mitochondrial large subunit rRNA gene contains two group II introns that are extraordinarily similar to those found in the cyanobacterium Calothrix sp, suggesting a recent lateral intron transfer between a bacterial and a mitochondrial genome. Notable features of P. purpurea mtDNA include the presence of two 291-bp inverted repeats that likely mediate homologous recombination, resulting in genome rearrangement, and of numerous sequence polymorphisms in the coding and intergenic regions. Comparative analysis of red algal mitochondrial genomes from five different, evolutionarily distant orders reveals that rhodophyte mtDNAs are unusually uniform in size and gene order. Finally, phylogenetic analyses provide strong evidence that red algae share a common ancestry with green algae and plants.

Plastid evolution: origins, diversity, trends

The amazing diversity of extant photosynthetic eukaryotes is largely a result of the presence of formerly free-living photosynthesizing organisms that have been sequestered by eukaryotic hosts and established as plastids in a process known as endosymbiosis. The evolutionary history of these endosymbiotic events was traditionally investigated by studying ultrastructural features and pigment characteristics but in recent years has been approached using molecular sequence data and gene trees. Two important developments, more detailed studies of members of the Cyanobacteria (from which plastids ultimately derive) and the availability of complete plastid genome sequences from a wide variety of plant and algal lineages, have allowed a more accurate reconstruction of plastid evolution.

Molecular characterization of a single mitochondria-associated double-stranded RNA in the green alga Bryopsis

Mitochondria from the green alga Bryopsis sp. very often contained a 4.5 kb double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) at a defined level. Complementary DNA probes derived from the mitochondrial dsRNA hybridized with none of the algal chloroplast dsRNAs of 1.7 to 2.2 kb, but did hybridize with a similar-sized dsRNA among several dsRNAs from the mitochondria of B. maxima. Sequence analysis of the mitochondrial dsRNA from Bryopsis sp. revealed only two large, overlapping, open reading frames (ORFs) on one strand if UGA was taken as a non-termination codon, suggesting the independent phylogenetic evolution of the mitochondrial dsRNA. Consensus sequence for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was found within the longer ORF (2472 bp) of the dsRNA. The overlapping 52 bp of the ORFs in different reading frames is suggestive of the occurrence of a -1 ribosomal frameshift in the mitochondrial translation system. The observed simple genetic structures suggest that the algal mitochondrial dsRNA might be deficient in a gene for movement from cell to cell in host plants and, hence, has a plasmid-like nature that is distinct from that of infectious plant viruses. The nature and origin of the endogenous dsRNAs of various sizes and their relationships are discussed.

Use of a deviant mitochondrial genetic code in yellow-green algae as a landmark for segregating members within the phylum

Several algae that were previously classified in the phylum Xanthophyta (yellow-green algae) were assigned in 1971 to a new phylum, Eustigmatophyta. It was anticipated that the number of algae reclassified to Eustigmatophyta would increase. However, due to the fact that the morphological characteristics that segregate eustigmatophytes from other closely related algae can be only obtained through laborious electron microscopic techniques, the number of members in this phylum have increased rather slowly. We attempted, therefore, to segregate two closely related groups of algae, eustigmatophytes and yellow-green algae, on the basis of a molecular phylogenetic tree as a means of providing an alternative method of distinguishing these phyla. We analyzed the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COXI) gene sequences of eight algae classified as xanthophyceans and found that six manifested the expected deviant genetic code where AUA codes for methionine (AUA/Met), but not for isoleucine (AUA/Ile) as in the universal genetic code. The other two, Monodus sp. (CCMP 505) and Ophiocytium majus (CCAP 855/1), which were presumed to be yellow-green algae, and all the examined eustigmatophytes utilized AUA for Ile. In addition, the phylogenetic tree of COXI gene sequences showed that the six yellow-green algae bearing the AUA/Met deviant code composed a tight clade with a bootstrap value of 100%. The phylogenetic tree of the corresponding sequences from Monodus sp. and Ophiocytium majus and the eustigmatophytes also composed a tight cluster, but with a bootstrap value of 92%. These results strongly suggest that two previously classified members of yellow-green algae belong to the phylum Eustigmatophyta. Therefore, examination of the mitochondrial genetic code in algae appears to be a potentially very useful genetic marker for classifying these organisms, especially when it is considered with the results obtained through a molecular phylogenetic tree.

Regulation of gene expression in plant mitochondria

Many genes is plant mitochondria have been analyzed in the past 15 years and regulatory processes controlling gene expression can now be investigated. In vitro systems capable of initiating transcription faithfully at promoter sites have been developed for both monocot and dicot plants and will allow the identification of the interacting nucleic acid elements and proteins which specify and guide transcriptional activities. Mitochondrial activity, although required in all plant tissues, is capable of adapting to specific requirements by regulated gene expression. Investigation of the factors governing the quality and quantity of distinct RNAs will define the extent of interorganelle regulatory interference in mitochondrial gene expression.

Genes encoding the same three subunits of respiratory complex II are present in the mitochondrial DNA of two phylogenetically distant eukaryotes

Although mitochondrial DNA is known to encode a limited number (<20) of the polypeptide components of respiratory complexes I, III, IV, and V, genes for components of complex II [succinate dehydrogenase (ubiquinone); succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, EC 1.3.5.1] are conspicuously lacking in mitochondrial genomes so far characterized. Here we show that the same three subunits of complex II are encoded in the mitochondrial DNA of two phylogenetically distant eukaryotes, Porphyra purpurea (a photosynthetic red alga) and Reclinomonas americana (a heterotrophic zooflagellate). These complex II genes, sdh2, sdh3, and sdh4, are homologs, respectively, of Escherichia coli sdhB, sdhC, and sdhD. In E. coli, sdhB encodes the iron-sulfur subunit of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), whereas sdhC and sdhD specify, respectively, apocytochrome b558 and a hydrophobic 13-kDa polypeptide, which together anchor SDH to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Amino acid sequence similarities indicate that sdh2, sdh3, and sdh4 were originally encoded in the protomitochondrial genome and have subsequently been transferred to the nuclear genome in most eukaryotes. The data presented here are consistent with the view that mitochondria constitute a monophyletic lineage.

Physical map and gene organization of the mitochondrial genome from the unicellular green alga Platymonas (Tetraselmis) subcordiformis (Prasinophyceae)

The entire mitochondrial genome (mt genome) of the unicellular green alga Platymonas subcordiformis (synonym Tetraselmis subcordiformis; Prasinophyceae) was cloned and a physical map for the four restriction enzymes Hind III, Eco RI, Bg/II and Xba I was constructed. The mt genome of P. subcordiformis is a 42.8 kb circular molecule, coding for at least 23 genes. Hybridization and sequence analysis revealed the presence of a ca. 1.5 kb inverted repeat on the mt genome of P. subcordiformis. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of several coxI genes were carried out. Our data indicate that mitochondria from P. subcordiformis and from land plants form a natural, monophyletic group.

The nuclear gene and cDNAs encoding cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from the marine red alga Gracilaria verrucosa: cloning, characterization and phylogenetic analysis

We have cloned and sequenced the single-copy nuclear gene (GapC) encoding the complete 335-amino acid cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPC) from the red alga Gracilaria verrucosa. The proline residue which contributes to the specificity of NAD+ binding in other GAPC-like proteins is present. Putative regulatory regions, including GC-rich regions, a GATA element, and 11-base T- and T/G-clusters, but excluding TATA- and CCAAT-boxes, were identified upstream. Two types of GapC cDNAs differing in polyadenylation site were characterized. An 80-bp phase-two spliceosomal intron was identified in a novel position interrupting the highly conserved cofactor-coding region I. The G. verrucosa GAPC was easily aligned with other known GAPC-type sequences. Inferred phylogenetic trees place red algae among the eukaryote crown taxa, although with modest bootstrap support and without stable resolution among related GAPC lineages.

DNA sequence, structure, and phylogenetic relationship of the mitochondrial small-subunit rRNA from the red alga Chondrus crispus (Gigartinales rhodophytes)

The entire nucleotide sequence containing the small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rRNA) from the mitochondrial genome of Chondrus crispus was determined. To our knowledge, this is the first sequence of a mitochondrial 16S-like rRNA from a red alga. The length of this gene is 1,376 nucleotides. Its secondary structure was constructed and compared with other known secondary structures from eubacteria and from mitochondria of land plants, green and brown algae, and fungi. Phylogenetic trees were built upon SSU rRNA sequence alignment from mitochondria and eubacteria. The results show that rhodophytes and chromophytes provide additional links in the evolution of mitochondria between the green plant lineage and the "nonplant" lineages.

Physical map and gene organization of the mitochondrial genome of Chondrus crispus (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales)

Organellar DNA, i.e. a mixture of plastid and mitochondrial DNAs, was purified from the rhodophyte Chondrus crispus and analysed with restriction endonucleases. Mitochondrial DNA fragments were identified by heterologous hybridization, cloned, mapped and partially sequenced. The mitochondrial genome of C. crispus consists of a 25.9 kb circular molecule on which twenty genes were localized. Compared with other plant mitochondrial genomes, C. crispus mitochondrial DNA appears as a relatively small molecule with a high coding capacity and a specific gene organization. The use of a modified genetic code and the absence of RNA editing, previously reported for the cox3 gene, is a general characteristic of the sequenced genes of this molecule. This is the first detailed description of a red algal mitochondrial genome.

RNA editing in plant mitochondria and chloroplasts

In the mitochondria and chloroplasts of flowering plants (angiosperms), transcripts of protein-coding genes are altered after synthesis so that their final primary nucleotide sequence differs from that of the corresponding DNA sequence. This posttranscriptional mRNA editing consists almost exclusively of C-to-U substitutions. Editing occurs predominantly within coding regions, mostly at isolated C residues, and usually at first or second positions of codons, thereby almost always changing the amino acid from that specified by the unedited codon. Editing may also create initiation and termination codons. The net effect of C-to-U RNA editing in plants is to make proteins encoded by plant organelles more similar in sequence to their nonplant homologs. In a few cases, a strong argument can be made that specific C-to-U editing events are essential for the production of functional plant mitochondrial proteins. Although the phenomenon of RNA editing in plants is now well documented, fundamental questions remain to be answered: What determines the specificity of editing? What is the biochemical mechanism (deamination, base exchange, or nucleotide replacement)? How did the system evolve? RNA editing in plants, as in other organisms, challenges our traditional notions of genetic information transfer.