Origin and direction of replication in mitochondrial plasmid DNAs of broad bean, Vicia faba.

Broad bean (Vicia faba) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) includes three circular plasmids: mt-plasmid 1 (1,704 ntp), mt-plasmid 2 (1,695 ntp) and mt-plasmid 3 (1,476 ntp). Partially replicated circular forms of these mt-plasmids have been observed in electron microscope preparations. Restriction enzymes that cleave either mt-plasmid 2 (but not mt-plasmids 1 and 3) or mt-plasmid 3 (but not mt-plasmids 1 and 2) were used to generate linear forms of partially replicated mt-plasmid 2 and mt-plasmid 3 molecules. Analyses of these linearized replicative intermediates, observed by electron microscopy, indicated that in both mt-plasmid 2 and mt-plasmid 3 replication originates at a specific location and proceeds in the same, single direction around the molecules. The replication origins of mt-plasmid 2 and mt-plasmid 3 map close to sequences that can fold into hairpin structures.