Multipartite structure of mitochondrial DNA in a fungal longlife mutant.

Rearrangements in the mitochondrial genome of the longlife mutant ex1 of the ascomycete Podospora anserina have led to a heterogeneous population of subgenomic molecules. The restriction maps of individual subcircles were established using overlapping recombinant lambda phages isolated from an ex 1 mtDNA/EMBL3 library. The formation of the subcircles and the resulting multipartite organization of the ex1 mtDNA are discussed.