The mitochondrial genome of fertile maize (Zea mays L.) contains two copies of the gene encoding the α-subunit of the F1-ATPase

Summary In contrast to the situation in animals and fungi the -subunit of the mitochondrial F₁-ATPase is encoded by two identical mitochondrial genes (ATP A) in male fertile maize (Zea mays L.). Cytoplasmic male sterile (T, C and S) maize mitochondrial genomes only contain a single copy of the gene. Sequence analysis reveals that the uninterrupted coding region of both copies of the gene is 1,524 by long and encodes a polypeptide of 508 amino acids with a molecular weight of 55,117. The predicted amino acid sequence shares over 60% homology with the nuclear encoded -subunit from yeast and bovine ATPases and approx. 50% with the corresponding chloroplast and bacterial polypeptides.