Abstract
The active, selective digestion of mtDNA from one parent is a possible molecular mechanism for the uniparental inheritance of mtDNA. In Physarum polycephalum, mtDNA is packed by DNA-binding protein Glom, which packs mtDNA into rod-shaped mt-nucleoids. After the mating, mtDNA from one parent is selectively digested, and the Glom began to disperse. Dispersed Glom was retained for at least 6 h after mtDNA digestion, but disappeared completely by about 12 h after mixing two strains. We identified two novel nucleases using DNA zymography with native-PAGE and SDS-PAGE. One is a Ca2+-dependent, high-molecular-weight nuclease complex (about 670 kDa), and the other is a Mn2+-dependent, high-molecular-weight nuclease complex (440–670 kDa); the activity of the latter was detected as a Mn2+-dependent, 13-kDa DNase band on SDS-PAGE. All mitochondria isolated from myxamoebae had mt-nucleoids, whereas half of the mitochondria isolated from the zygotes at 12 h after mixing had lost the mt-nucleoids. The activity of the Mn2+-dependent nuclease in the isolated mitochondria was detected at least 8 h after mixing of two strains. The timing and localization of the Mn2+-dependent DNase activity matched the selective digestion of mtDNA.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Prof. T. Kuroiwa (Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo) for helpful discussions. We also thank S. Matsunaga (Graduate School of Engineering, University of Osaka) for helpful technical advice. This study was supported by a grant for Scientific Research in Priority Areas (no. 15440246 to S. K.) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan.
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Moriyama, Y., Yamazaki, T., Nomura, H. et al. Early zygote-specific nuclease in mitochondria of the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum . Curr Genet 48, 334–343 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-005-0025-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-005-0025-2