SEMINAR: Plant Energy Biology Seminar Series

The largest mitochondrial genomes are found in land plants but most of the mtDNA does not specify functional genes. In addition, extensive mtDNA organisational variation can be found within a single plant species. Our laboratory has compared the sequence, organisation and gene content of mitochondrial genomes in maize and related grasses to examine how coding and non-coding sequence variation occurs. Most maize mitochondrial mutations are found to be rearrangements that result in partial deletions of mitochondrial genes encoding specific components of electron transfer chain complexes or of the translation apparatus. As expected, such mutations have dramatic effects throughout growth and development. we are also studying mitochondrial DNA variation in maize that specifically affects pollen development; i.e., cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), and how spontaneous mutations as well as the activity of nuclear genes can lead to the recovery of fertility.