Location of the matK gene in the chloroplast genome of Arabidopsis thaliana. matK is one of the protein-coding genes involved in functions other than photosynthetic reactions (red boxes). matK maps at the 2–3.5 kb coordinates.
Maturase K (matK) is a plant plastidial gene.[1] The protein it encodes is an organelle intron maturase, a protein that splicesGroup II introns. It is essential for in vivo splicing of Group II introns.[2] Amongst other maturases, this protein retains only a well conserved domain X and remnants of a reverse transcriptase domain.[3]
LtrA, an open reading frame found in the Lactococcus lactis group II introns LtrB. It is an intron-encoded protein, with three subdomains, one of which is a reverse-transcriptase/maturase.
^Ahlert D, Piepenburg K, Kudla J, Bock R (July 2006). "Evolutionary origin of a plant mitochondrial group II intron from a reverse transcriptase/maturase-encoding ancestor". Journal of Plant Research. 119 (4): 363–71. Bibcode:2006JPlR..119..363A. doi:10.1007/s10265-006-0284-0. PMID 16763758. S2CID 8277547.