Isolation and Characterization of a Mitochondrial atp6 Gene from Soybean (Glycine max)

Mitochondrial ATPase (mtATPase) complex plays vital roles in higher plants. It consists of a few subunits. In the present study, a new copy of the mtATPase subunit 6 (EC 3.6.1.34) gene (atp6) was cloned and characterized from Glycine max (L.) Merr., which has the shortest opening reading frame of 223 amino acids in all organisms examined and designated as the atp6 copy3 (atp6 -3). PCR amplifications of the atp6-3 from 9 soybean cultivars combined with sequencing analysis suggested its wide occurrence in G. max. RFLP analysis of a RILs population implied that paternal inheritance of the atp6 -3 might occur in G. max at undetermined frequency. Under salicylic acid (SA)-treated condition, the expression of the atp6 gene was significantly inhibited. The possible role of this inhibition was discussed.