Plant Mitochondrial Genome Evolution and Cytoplasmic Male Sterility

Mitochondria are responsible for providing energy currency to life processes in the molecular form of ATP and are therefore typically referred to as the power factories of cells. Plant mitochondria are also relevant to the common phenomenon of cytoplasmic male sterility, which is agronomically important in various crop species. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a complex trait that may be influenced by patterns of mitochondrial genome evolution, and by intergenomic gene transfer among the organellar and nuclear compartments of plant cells. Here, we review patterns and processes that shape plant mitochondrial genomes, some relevant interactions between organelles, and the general features shared by the majority of cytoplasmic male-sterile genes in plants to further the goal of understanding CMS.