Article
- The EMBO Journal (2006) 25, 5358 - 5371
- doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7601392
Published online: 26 October 2006
Subject Category:
Replication of vertebrate mitochondrial DNA entails transient ribonucleotide incorporation throughout the lagging strand
Takehiro Yasukawa1,a, Aurelio Reyes1,a, Tricia J Cluett1, Ming-Yao Yang1, Mark Bowmaker1, Howard T Jacobs2 and Ian J Holt1
- MRC-Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, UK
- Institute of Medical Technology and Tampere University Hospital, University of Tampere, Finland
Correspondence to:
Ian J Holt, MRC-Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Wellcome Trust-MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2XY, UK. Tel.: +44 1223 252840; Fax: +44 1223 252845; E-mail: holt@mrc-dunn.cam.ac.uk
aThese authors contributed equally to this work
Received 21 July 2006; Accepted 26 September 2006
Abstract
Using two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis, we show that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication of birds and mammals frequently entails ribonucleotide incorporation throughout the lagging strand (RITOLS). Based on a combination of two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoretic analysis and mapping of 5' ends of DNA, initiation of RITOLS replication occurs in the major non-coding region of vertebrate mtDNA and is effectively unidirectional. In some cases, conversion of nascent RNA strands to DNA starts at defined loci, the most prominent of which maps, in mammalian mtDNA, in the vicinity of the site known as the light-strand origin.
Keywords:
- DNA,
- mitochondria,
- mtDNA,
- replication,
- vertebrate
