The Agrocybe aegerita mitochondrial genome contains two inverted repeats of the nad4 gene arisen by duplication on both sides of a linear plasmid integration site

The Agrocybe aegerita mitochondrial genome possesses two polB genes with linear plasmid origin. The cloning and sequencing of the regions flanking Aa-polB P1 revealed two large inverted repeats (higher than 2421 nt) separated by a single copy region of 5834 nt. Both repeats contain identical copies of the nad4 gene. The single copy region contains two disrupted genes with plasmid origin Aa-polB P1 and a small ORF homologous to a small gene described in two basidiomycete linear plasmids. The phylogenetic analyses argue in favor of a same plasmid origin for both genes but, surprisingly, these genes were separated by a mitochondrial tRNA-Met. Both strands of the complete region containing the two nad4 inverted copies and the tRNA-Met appear to be transcribed on large polycistronic mRNAs. A model summarizing the events that would have occurred is proposed: (1) capture of the tRNA by the plasmid before its integration in the mtDNA or acquisition of the tRNA gene by recombination after the plasmid integration, (2) integration of the plasmid in the mtDNA, accompanied by a large duplication containing the nad4 gene and (3) erosion of the plasmid sequences by large deletions and mutations.