Recombined molecules of mitochondrial DNA obtained from crosses between cytoplasmic petite mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: the stoichiometry of parental DNA repeats within the recombined molecule.

We have studied recombination between repetitive mitochondrial DNAs from cytoplasmic petite mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mitochondrial DNA was isolated from two parental p- mutants, carrying respectively the CR and the ER mitochondrial genetic markers, and from two p- CRER diploid genetic recombinants. These two recombinants, obtained from the same parental petites, differ in their degrees of suppressiveness. The p- mitochondrial DNAs were analyzed by DNA-DNA hybridization, high resolution melting and reassociation kinetics. It was found that the repeating unit of the CR parental p- DNA is 3 to 4 times longer than that of the ER parent. There is very little sequence homology between these two p- mitochondrial DNAs and almost all parental sequences are integrated into the recombined molecules. Mitochondrial DNA from both types of recombinants seems to contain the two parental repeating units in the ratio 1:1.