Extensive mitochondrial DNA variation in somatic tissue cultures initiated from wheat immature embryos

Summary Wheat mitochondria) DNA has been isolated from callus cultures initiated from both immature embryos and the corresponding parental cultivar. A Sall restriction pattern study has shown that the organization of callus culture mitochondria) DNA underwent extensive change, characterized by either the disappearance or the decrease in the relative stoichiometry of several restriction bands. Hybridization of labelled mitochondrial fragments obtained from a recombinant cosmid library to Southern blots of callus and parental line restricted mitochondria) DNAs has shown that a fraction of the mitochondria) genome was lost in callus cultures. Data from a Sall + HindIII restriction map of a defined part of the wheat mitochondria) genome concerned with some of these variations strongly suggest that the observed variations correspond to the disappearance of at least one mitochondria) DNA subgenomic molecule in callus cultures.Abbreviations mtDNA mitochondrial DNA - cpDNA chloroplast DNA - rRNA ribosomal RNA - mRNA messenger RNA - kb kilobase - cv cultivar