Novel evolutionary variation in transcription and location of two chloroplast genes

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Abstract
We have found major evolutionary changes in the types of transcripts produced by specific chloroplast genes, in particular those encoding the large subunit (LS) of ribulose–1, 5–bisphosphate carboxylase and a photosystem II polypeptide (PII). Two distinct patterns of LS gene transcripts are revealed by hybridizing an LS gene probe to electrophoretically separated RNA from 19 angiosperms. Most species, including pea, contain the single transcript of approximately 1.6 kb previously observed in corn, spinach and mustard. However, in mung bean and other members of the legume genera Vigna and Phaseolus, the 1.6 kb transcript represents only a minor fraction of LS transcripts, and instead, two larger LS transcripts of approximately 2.4 and 2.6 kb predominate.