Excision-amplification of mitochondrial DNA during senescence in Podospora anserina. A potential role for an 11 base-pair consensus sequence in the excision process.

Three novel mitochondrial excision-amplification plasmids of Podospora anserina were identified and the excision-junction sites on the mitochondrial genome determined. All three plasmids were at least partially derived from a common region of the mitochondrial genome termed EcoRI-7 (E7). The entire 5651 base-pair sequence of E7 is presented. Included within this sequence are the E7-specific excision-junction sites of these novel plasmids, the localizations of nine tRNA genes, and the localization of a class I intron of the large rRNA mitochondrial gene. The E7 region contains the 3' portion of this large rRNA gene. Formation of these three novel plasmids as well as other previously described mitochondrial plasmids was found to be associated with the presence of an 11 base-pair consensus sequence, GGCGCAAGCTC, or its complementary sequence. A possible role for this consensus sequence and its complement in plasmid formation and the senescence process of Podospora is discussed. A possible role for the tRNA genes in plasmid formation is considered.