The nad6 gene and the exon d of nad1 are co-transcribed in wheat mitochondria

Abstract

The exon d of nad1 is located 993 bp upstream of the nad6 gene in the wheat mitochondrial genome. Transcription analyses of both sequences (nad1 exon d and the nad6 gene) were done by Northern hybridization using RNA from wheat seedlings and tissue cultures derived from immature embryos. A complicated pattern was generated with a probe including exon d of nad1 and the whole nad6 gene. An 0.71-kb transcript is specific to nad1 exon d whereas a 1.2-kb transcript is specific to the nad6 gene. Three larger transcripts hybridize to both probes suggesting that nad1 exon d and nad6 are co-transcribed. This co-transcription has been directly demonstrated by cDNA synthesis on mtRNAs and sequencing of the PCR amplification product.