The Copy Number of Chloroplast Gene Minicircles Changes Dramatically with Growth Phase in the Dinoflagellate Amphidinium operculatum

摘要: The chloroplast genome of algae and plants typically comprises a circular DNA molecule 100–200 kb, which harbours ∼120 genes, is present in 50–100 copies per chloroplast. However, peridinin dinoflagellates, an ecologically important group unicellular algae, the fragmented into plasmid-like ‘minicircles’, each 2–3 kb. Furthermore, gene content dinoflagellates dramatically reduced. Only 14 genes have been found on dinoflagellate minicircles, recent evidence from EST studies suggests that most located other are nucleus. In this study, Southern blot analysis was used to estimate copy number cell variety minicircles during different growth stages Amphidinium operculatum. It minicircle low exponential stage but increases later phase resemble situation seen algae. control replication discussed light these findings.