Sequence of the 18S-5S ribosomal gene region and the cytochrome oxidase II gene from mtDNA of Zea diploperennis.

The coding and flanking sequences of the 18S-5S ribosomal RNA genes and the cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene of Zea diploperennis mitochondrial DNA have been determined and compared to the corresponding sequences of normal maize (Zea mays L.) Both length and substitution mutations are found in the coding region of the 18S rRNA gene, whereas only one substitution mutation is found in the coding region of cytochrome oxidase II. Sequence divergence between maize and Zea diploperennis is about one-tenth of that between wheat and maize. The rate of nucleotide divergence by base substitution is less for plant mitochrondrial genes than for comparable genes in animal mitochondria.