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- Title
Deletion of the sex-determining gene SXI1α enhances the spread of mitochondrial introns in Cryptococcus neoformans.
- Authors
Yan, Zhun; Li, Zhimin; Yan, Li; Yu, Yongting; Cheng, Yi; Chen, Jia; Liu, Yunyun; Gao, Chunsheng; Zeng, Liangbin; Sun, Xiangping; Guo, Litao; Xu, Jianping
- Abstract
Background: Homing endonuclease genes (HEGs) are widely distributed genetic elements in the mitochondrial genomes of a diversity of eukaryotes. Due to their ability to self-propagate within and between genomes, these elements can spread rapidly in populations. Whether and how such elements are controlled in genomes remains largely unknown. Results: Here we report that the HEG-containing introns in the mitochondrial COX1 gene in Cryptococcus neoformans are mobile and that their spread in sexual crosses is influenced by mating type ( MAT ) α-specific homeodomain gene SXI1 α. C. neoformans has two mating types, MAT a and MAT α<bold>. </bold> In typical crosses between strains of the two mating types , only a small portion (< 7%) of diploid fusants inherited the HEGs from the MAT α parent. However, disruption of the SXI1 α gene resulted in the majority (> 95%) of the diploid fusants inheriting the HEG-containing introns from the MAT α parent, a frequency significantly higher than those of intronless mitochondrial genes. Conclusions: Our results suggest that SXI1 α not only determines uniparental mitochondrial inheritance but also inhibits the spread of HEG-containing introns in the mitochondrial genome in C. neoformans.
- Subjects
ENDONUCLEASE genetics; MITOCHONDRIAL DNA; EUKARYOTES; GENETIC sex determination; CRYPTOCOCCUS neoformans
- Publication
Mobile DNA, 2018, Vol 9, Issue 1, pN.PAG
- ISSN
1759-8753
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/s13100-018-0129-0