Structural variations in Vicia faba mitochondrial genome

Summary A comparative analysis of the presence of minicircular DNA CCCIB in 16 different lines and cultivars of fertile Vicia faba L. plants was conducted. It was found that copy number of CCCIB ranged from several copies per mitochondrial genome to — probably — zero, depending on cultivar or line. Fertility of plants in these cases was not altered. We chose 10 cultivars and lines among 16 analysed. Mitochondria of five cultivars and lines contained about two CCCIB molecules per one CCCIA. The sixth cultivar contained CCCIB at copy number several times lower. In the last four cultivars CCCIB could not be identified. Copy number analysis of CCC2 in ten chosen cultivars and lines revealed that in eight cases the quantitiy of CCC2 was equal to CCCIA. However, two other cultivars contained about two times lower quantity of CCC2. Parallel to that we observed an increase in quantity of one sequence homologous to CCC2, which in the first eight cultivars and lines could be found only in minor quantities. Comparative restriction analysis revealed notable rearrangement events in mitochondrial DNAs of ten cultivars and lines being investigated. We did not find any correlations between patterns of restriction fragments and copy number of CCCIB. In some cases, rearrangements in Vicia faba mitochondrial genomes caused a duplication of sequences homologous to the Zea mays coxII gene.