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Comparative Structural Analysis on the Mitochondrial DNAs from Various Strains of Lentinula edodes

Summary

This research examined how the genetic material in the powerhouse (mitochondria) of mushroom cells changes over time. Scientists studied different strains of shiitake mushroom to understand how their mitochondrial DNA evolves and varies. The findings show that this DNA is constantly changing through various mechanisms like adding or removing genetic elements and duplicating sequences. Impacts on everyday life: • Helps improve mushroom breeding programs for better crop yields • Advances our understanding of how organisms adapt and evolve • Contributes to better cultivation methods for edible mushrooms • Provides insights into genetic diversity that could help preserve mushroom species • May lead to improved strains of mushrooms with desired characteristics

Background

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evolution through variations is an intriguing question in eukaryotic cells. The mtDNA size in higher fungi varies considerably, from 18.8 kb in Hanseniaspora uvarum to 332 kb in Golovinomyces cichoracearum. Despite size differences, the number of essential genes remains relatively constant, with size diversity mainly due to intron insertion, plasmid DNA insertion, partial duplication of mtDNA sequences, and changes in repetitive sequences.

Objective

To assess the causes of mitochondrial variations by analyzing and comparing the mtDNAs of 21 strains of Lentinula edodes along with four previously published mtDNA sequences.

Results

The mtDNAs ranged in size from 117 kb to 122 kb. Gene numbers were consistent except for two mtDNAs with either duplicated trnG1-trnG2 unit or gene deletion. Size variations were primarily due to intron numbers, repeated sequences, transposable elements (11.04% of mtDNA), and plasmid-related sequences. Intron loss and gain were found in cox1, rnl, and rns genes. Four unique intron insertion consensus sequences were discovered in rnl. Homing endonucleases were involved in intron mobilization. Two major deletions were found in plasmid-related sequence regions in five mtDNAs.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that mtDNA is a dynamic molecule that continuously evolves at the strain level through insertion/deletion and repetition of DNA segments. The evolution occurs through replication errors like gene duplication and repeated sequence generation, as well as mobilization of DNA fragments including introns, transposable elements, and plasmids.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Comparative Genomic Analysis,
  • Source: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1034387
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