Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 14, 344-349, Copyright © 1997 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
DC Shields and KH Wolfe
The selective constraints influencing mRNA editing in plant organelles are
largely unknown. To investigate these, we compared patterns of editing
between monocot and dicot mitochondrial mRNA. On average, 24% of sites that
are edited form C to U in one species have been substituted during
evolution by a genomic T in the other: this is four times the rate of
evolution seen at nonedited synonymously variable C residues. A similar,
but weaker trend (not statistically significant) is seen at sites edited in
chloroplast mRNA. The elevated substitution rate does not appear to be a
consequence of a higher mutability of the trinucleotide motif (T-C-purine)
associated with editing. nor to be a result of reverse transcription from
mature mRNA. Selection to replace the genomic C with a T may account for
the accelerated evolution, either due to elimination of inefficient
transcripts and protein products or as a consequence of the prior loss of
components outside the edit site which are necessary for editing; the
latter hypothesis is supported by the frequent loss of editing without
genomic mutation at third codon positions. Whatever the cause, the rapid
rate of evolution indicates that editing confers little selective advantage
at most sites.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Accelerated evolution of sites undergoing mRNA editing in plant mitochondria and chloroplasts
Department of Genetics, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. dshields@biotech.bio.tcd.ie
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