Characterization of inverted repeats from plasmid-like DNAs and the maize mitochondrial genome.

Integrated inverted repeat (IR) sequences similar to those of the S plasmids have been isolated from the genomes of the normal and S type male-sterile cytoplasms of maize mitochondria. The nucleotide sequences of both the IRs and their flanking regions have distinguished and characterized several different types of repeats. The repeats may be involved in the recombinational process that occurs continuously in the mitochondrial genome. One cloned fragment, derived from a fertile revertant and containing sequences similar to S-2, does not appear to act as a typical transposable element during reversion. Several of the flanking regions examined contain a small repeat of 34 base pairs, in which a nonanucleotide segment is found with similarity to the yeast mitochondrial promoter.