Transcription of succinate dehydrogenase subunit 4 (sdh4) gene in potato: detection of extensive RNA editing and co-transcription with cytochrome oxidase subunit III (cox3) gene

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) mitochondrial cox3/sdh4 gene cluster was previously identified by heterologous hybridization using a Marchantia polymorpha sdh4 probe. In this work, this potato gene cluster was cloned, sequenced and its expression was evaluated. The gene sequence and gene locus organization were found to be similar to the corresponding gene cluster in other dicot species, where known. Northern hybridizations with potato and cauliflower (Brassica oleraceae) mtRNA and RT-PCR analyses using potato mtRNA indicated that cox3 and sdh4 are co-transcribed in both species, generating a complex transcription pattern, where several transcripts from 1.1 kb to 4.4 kb are found. The potato transcript from this cluster displayed 14 and 13 RNA-editing sites, in the cox3 and sdh4 genes respectively, which changed the codon identity to amino acids and created a sdh4 partially edited stop codon. Forty-three cDNA clones were analyzed for editing process and revealed different partial-editing with no apparent sequential processing in the sdh4 gene.