Horizontal transfer of entire genomes via mitochondrial fusion in the angiosperm Amborella

We report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the flowering plant Amborella trichopoda. This enormous, 3.9 Mb genome contains six genome equivalents of foreign mitochondrial DNA, acquired from green algae, mosses, and other angiosperms. Many of these horizontal transfers were large, including acquisition of entire mitochondrial genomes from three green algae and one moss. We propose a fusion-compatibility model to explain these findings, with Amborella capturing whole mitochondria from diverse eukaryotes, followed by mitochondrial fusion (limited mechanistically to green plant mitochondria), and then genome recombination. Amborella?s epiphyte load, propensity to produce suckers from wounds, and low rate of mitochondrial DNA loss probably all contribute to the high level of foreign DNA in its mitochondrial genome. Fil: Rice, Danny W.. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos; Fil: Alverson, Andrew J.. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos; Fil: Richardson, Aaron O.. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos; Fil: Young, Gregory J.. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos; Fil: Sanchez Puerta, Maria Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Mendoza. Instituto de Biologia Agricola de Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biologia; Argentina Fil: Munzinger, Jérôme. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD). UMR Botanique et Bioinformatique de l’Architecture des Plantes (AMAP). Laboratoire de Botanique et d’Ecologie Végétale Appliquées; Nueva Caledonia; Fil: Barry, Kerrie. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute; Estados Unidos; Fil: Boore, Jeffrey L.. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute; Estados Unidos; Fil: Zhang, Yan. Penn State University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos; Fil: dePamphilis, Claude W.. Penn State University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos; Fil: Knox, Eric B.. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos; Fil: Palmer, Jeffrey D.. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos