We previously found a specific DNA fragment, designated Band 1, in the cytoplasm of a Mexican hexaploid wild potato species, Solanum demissum, and varieties with the S. demissum cytoplasm. In this study, we show that Band 1 also occurs substoichiometrically in various species and varieties. The S. demissum DNA sequence harboring Band 1 was extended by genome walking to 7,040 bp, and whole-genome sequencing of the S. verrucosum genome generated a 10,794-bp contig with the corresponding sequence. Their 3′-terminal end sequences had 100 % homology with segment 2 of the S. tuberosum mitochondrial genome, proving that Band 1 originated from a recombination-derived mitochondrial genome. Both normal and recombination-derived mitochondrial genomes co-existed in Band 1 carriers. The presence or absence of Band 1 was surveyed for four accessions of tomato and wild relatives and 172 accessions of 38 Solanum species or potato and tuber-bearing wild relatives, mostly from Mexican species. Together, with the results of our previous survey (mostly for South American species), we conclude that Band 1 is retained stoichiometrically only among S. verrucosum and Mexican polyploid species, supporting S. verrucosum as a maternal ancestor for all Mexican polyploid species. The presence or absence of Band 1 was not uniform within these species and was not associated with ploidy, geographical distribution, or latitude. Several evolutionary hypotheses to explain intraspecific variation were discussed.
