The organization of repeating units in mitochondrial DNA from yeast petite mutants

Spontaneous Mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mtDNA Increase Cell-to-Cell Variation in mtDNA Amount

In a eukaryotic cell, the ratio of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA (nDNA) is usually maintained within a specific range. This suggests the presence of a negative feedback loop mechanism preventing extensive mtDNA replication and depletion. However, the experimental data on this hypothetical mechanism are limited. In this study, we suggested that deletions in mtDNA, known to increase mtDNA abundance, can disrupt this mechanism, and thus, increase cell-to-cell variance in the mtDNA copy numbers. To test this, we generated Saccharomyces cerevisiae rho- strains with large deletions in the mtDNA and rho0 strains depleted of mtDNA. Given that mtDNA contributes to the total DNA content of exponentially growing yeast cells, we showed that it can be quantified in individual cells by flow cytometry using the DNA-intercalating fluorescent dye SYTOX green. We found that the rho- mutations increased both the levels and cell-to-cell heterogeneity in the total DNA content of G1 and G2/M yeast cells, with no association with the cell size. Furthermore, the depletion of mtDNA in both the rho+ and rho- strains significantly decreased the SYTOX green signal variance. The high cell-to-cell heterogeneity of the mtDNA amount in the rho- strains suggests that mtDNA copy number regulation relies on full-length mtDNA, whereas the rho- mtDNAs partially escape this regulation.

Contingency and selection in mitochondrial genome dynamics

High frequencies of mutant mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in human cells lead to cellular defects that are associated with aging and disease. Yet much remains to be understood about the dynamics of the generation of mutant mtDNAs and their relative replicative fitness that informs their fate within cells and tissues. To address this, we utilize long-read single-molecule sequencing to track mutational trajectories of mtDNA in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This model has numerous advantages over mammalian systems due to its much larger mtDNA and ease of artificially competing mutant and wild-type mtDNA copies in cells. We show a previously unseen pattern that constrains subsequent excision events in mtDNA fragmentation in yeast. We also provide evidence for the generation of rare and contentious non-periodic mtDNA structures that lead to persistent diversity within individual cells. Finally, we show that measurements of relative fitness of mtDNA fit a phenomenological model that highlights important biophysical parameters governing mtDNA fitness. Altogether, our study provides techniques and insights into the dynamics of large structural changes in genomes that we show are applicable to more complex organisms like humans.

Organization, generation and replication of amphimeric genomes: a review

Genomes comprising a pair of separated inverted repeats and called 'amphimers' are reviewed. Amphimeric genomes are observed in a large variety of different organisms, ranging from archaebacteria to mammals. The widespread existence of amphimeric genomes in nature could be due to their particular dynamic structure. Amphimeric genomes containing long inverted segments may provide the only form in which a duplicated segment is stably retained in genomes. Amphimers are often found in amplified subgenomes, indicating that they could promote a special mechanism of DNA replication and amplification. The possible mechanisms of generation, isomerization and replication/amplification of different types of amphimeric genomes are discussed. The study of amphimeric mitochondrial petite genomes of yeast could be a good model system for the study of the role of inverted repeat sequences in genome dynamics.

The ori sequences of the mitochondrial genome of a wild-type yeast strain: number, location, orientation and structure

We have investigated the number, the location, the orientation and the structure of the seven ori sequences present in the mitochondrial genome of a wild-type strain, A, of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These homologous sequences are formed by three G + C-rich clusters, A, B and C, and by four A + T-rich stretches. Two of the latter, p and s, are located between clusters A and B; one, l, between clusters B and C; and one r, either immediately follows cluster C (in ori 3-7), or is separated from it by an additional A + T-rich stretch, r', (in ori 1 and ori 2). The most remarkable differences among ori sequences concern the presence of two additional G + C-rich clusters, beta and gamma, which are inserted in sequence l of ori 4 and 6 and in the middle of sequence r of ori 4, 6 and 7, respectively. Neglecting clusters beta and gamma and stretch r', the length of ori sequences is 280 +/- 1 bp, and that of the l stretch 200 +/- 1 bp. Hairpin structures can be formed by the whole A-B region, by clusters beta and gamma, and (in ori 2-6) by a short AT sequence, lp, immediately preceding cluster beta. An overall tertiary folding of ori sequences can be obtained. Some structural features of ori sequences are shared by the origins of replication of the heavy strands of the mitochondrial genomes of mammalian cells.

The orir to ori+ mutation in spontaneous yeast petites is accompanied by a drastic change in mitochondrial genome replication

The orir petite mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae show a very low level of suppressivity (5-12%; suppressivity is the percentage of diploid petites issued from a cross of the parental haploid petite with a wild-type cell), indicating a poor replication efficiency of their mitochondrial genome. The latter is made up of repeat units containing two inverted ori sequences and arranged as tandem pairs in inverted orientation relative to their nearest neighbors. After subcloning orir petites or crossing with wild-type cells a large number of ori+ petites are found in the progeny. In contrast to the orir petites, from which they are derived, these ori+ petites are characterized by high suppressivity levels (approx. 90%) and contain mitochondrial genomes made up of tandem repeat units containing single ori sequences. The structural changes underlying the orir to ori+ mutation are therefore accompanied by a dramatic increase in suppressivity, indicating that the elimination of inverted ori sequences causes a drastic change from very poor to very good replicative efficiency in the mitochondrial genome. Finally, crosses of ori0 petites with wild-type cells were also studied; the results obtained have clarified the reasons for the high frequency of petites having genomes similar to those of orir petites after mutagenesis with ethidium bromide.

The mitochondrial genomes of spontaneous orir petite mutants of yeast have rearranged repeat units organized as inverted tandem dimers

We have investigated the structure and organization of the mitochondrial genomes of two related orir (ori-rearranged) spontaneous petite mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In these mutant genomes every repeat unit contains an inverted terminal duplication harboring a second (inverted) ori sequence, and tandem pairs of repeat units alternate with tandem pairs in inverted orientation. We have shown that orir genomes are organized as the genomes with inverted repeat units of ethidium bromide (EtBr)-induced petites, and we have clarified the mechanism by which such mutant mitochondrial genomes arise.