RIBOSOMAL PROTEIN-S19 IS ENCODED BY THE MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME IN PETUNIA-HYBRIDA

The rps 19 ribosomal protein gene, which has not been previously reported in any mitochondrial genome, was identified by sequence analysis in the mitochondrial DNA of the higher plant Petunia hybrida. According to the sequence of eight rps 19 cDNAs, seven C to U conversions with respect to the genomic sequence are present in rps 19 transcripts. Not all transcripts are fully edited at these seven sites. Six of the seven C to U conversions change the encoded amino acid sequence by altering four codons. The rps 19 gene is located entirely within a repeat sequence which is present in three copies on the 443 kb genome. Due to intragenomic recombination across these repeats, Petunia rps 19 is present in nine different genomic environments.