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Title: THE PSM LOCUS CONTROLS PATERNAL SORTING OF THE CUCUMBER MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME

Author
item Havey, Michael
item PARK, YOUNG HOON - UNIV OF WI MADISON
item BARTOSZEWSKI, GRZEGORZ - WARSAW AG UNIV POLAND

Submitted to: Journal of Heredity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2004
Publication Date: 11/1/2004
Citation: Havey, M.J., Park, Y., Bartoszewski, G. 2004. The psm locus controls paternal sorting of the cucumber mitochondrial genome. Journal of Heredity. 95:492-497.

Interpretive Summary: The mitochondria of higher plants are almost always transferred maternally to progenies. Cucumber is unique in that the mitochondria are paternally transmitted. We used a mitochondrially encoded mosaic (MSC) phenotype to evaluate for variation among cucumber populations (PIs) for mitochondrial transmission. Wild-type F1 progenies were observed at high frequencies (>50 %) in F1 families from 10 PIs, with the greatest proportions from PI 401734. Polymorphisms near the mitochondrial cox1 gene revealed that wild-type F1 progenies from crosses of PI 401734 as the female with MSC16 possessed the wild-type mitochondrial DNA from the paternal parent. F2, F3, and backcross progenies from wild-type F1 plants from PI 401734 x MSC16 were testcrossed with MSC16 as the male parent to reveal segregation of a locus (Psm for Paternal sorting of mitochondria) controlling sorting of mitochondrial DNA from the paternal parent. Psm is a unique locus at which the maternal genotype affects sorting of paternally transmitted mitochondrial DNA. These results will be of interest to researchers studying mitochondrial genetics and the interactions between the nuclear and mitochondrial DNAs.

Technical Abstract: The mitochondrial genome of cucumber shows paternal transmission and there are no reports of variation for mitochondrial transmission in cucumber. We used a mitochondrially encoded mosaic (MSC) phenotype to reveal phenotypic variation for mitochondrial-genome transmission in cucumber. At least 10 random plants from each of 71 cucumber plant introductions (PIs) were crossed as the female with an inbred line (MSC16) possessing the MSC phenotype. Wild-type F1 progenies were observed at high frequencies (>50 %) in F1 families from 10 PIs, with the greatest proportions from PI 401734 . Polymorphisms near the mitochondrial cox1 gene and JLV5 region revealed that wild-type F1 progenies from crosses of PI 401734 as the female with MSC16 possessed the wild-type mitochondrial DNA from the paternal parent. F2, F3, and backcross progenies from wild-type F1 plants from PI 401734 x MSC16 were testcrossed with MSC16 as the male parent to reveal segregation of a locus (Psm for Paternal sorting of mitochondria) controlling sorting of mitochondrial DNA from the paternal parent. Psm is a unique locus at which the maternal genotype affects sorting of paternally transmitted mitochondrial DNA.