Substitutional and insertional RNA editing of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mRNA of Physarum polycephalum.

The term RNA editing encompasses two types of specific alterations in the coding potential of RNA molecules: base substitution and the insertion (or deletion) of nucleotides. Such changes in RNA sequence can have profound effects on gene expression, and, indeed, most genes in the mitochondria of plants, trypanosomatids, and Physarum appear to require editing for their expression. We describe here the first instance of the utilization of both types of RNA editing in the processing of a single mRNA, that of the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome oxidase subunit I of the acellular slime mold, Physarum polycephalum. Editing of this mRNA includes the insertion of cytidine, guanosine, and uridine residues, as well as the apparent conversion of cytidines to uridines. No edited version of this gene was detected in Physarum DNA, and amino acid alignments suggest that both types of RNA editing are required to produce a functional protein.