Concerted Evolution in the Ribosomal RNA Cistron

BACKGROUND: Gene conversion is the mechanism proposed to be responsible for the homogenization of multigene families such as the nuclear ribosomal gene clusters. This concerted evolutionary process prevents individual genes in gene clusters from accumulating mutations. The mechanism responsible for concerted evolution is not well understood but recombination during meiosis has been hypothesized to play a significant role in this homogenization. In this study we tested the hypothesis of unequal crossing over playing a significant role in gene conversion events within the ribosomal RNA cistron during meiosis, mitosis or both life stages in the fungal tree pathogen Ceratocystis manginecans. METHODS: Ceratocystis manginecans, a haploid ascomycete, reproduces homothallically and was found to have two distinct sequences within the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA cistron. The different ITS types were scored using PCR-RFLP assays and chi-square analyses to determine the level of significance of the changes in the ratios of the ITS types. RESULTS: The relative ratios of the two ITS sequence types changed when the fungal isolates were cultured vegetatively or allowed to produced sexual structures and spores. These active changes were shown to occur more frequently during meiosis than mitosis. CONCLUSION: The evidence presented provides concrete support for homogenization in the rRNA gene clusters found in this fungus and that the most reasonable explanation for this process is unequal crossing over.