The mitochondrial genome of safflower: isolation and restriction fragment analysis of DNA from CMS and restorer lines.

Mitochondria were isolated and purified from paired lines of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) restorer and cytoplasmic male sterile plants using isopycnic gradient centrifugation in isoosmotic Percoll. Agarose gel electrophoresis of restriction endonuclease digested DNAs showed characteristic polymorphism. Restriction fragments representing about 75% of the mitochondrial genome were common to both the fertile and CMS plants, but differed significantly in stoichiometric amounts. The remaining 25% could be accounted for by unique restriction fragments observed in only one or the other plant types.