The ribosomal RNA genes of Drosophila mitochondrial DNA.

The nucleotide sequence of a segment of the mtDNA molecule of Drosophila yakuba which contains the A+T-rich region and the small and large rRNA genes separated by the tRNAval gene has been determined. The 5' end of the small rRNA gene was located by S1 protection analysis. In contrast to mammalian mtDNA, a tRNA gene was not found at the 5' end of the D. yakuba small rRNA gene. The small and large rRNA genes are 20.7% and 16.7% G+C and contain only 789 and 1326 nucleotides. The 5' regions of the small rRNA gene (371 nucleotides) and of the large rRNA gene (643 nucleotides) are extremely low in G+C (14.6% and 9.5%, respectively) and convincing sequence homologies between these regions and the corresponding regions of mouse mt-rRNA genes were found only for a few short segments. Nevertheless, the entire lengths of both of the D. yakuba mt-rRNA genes can be folded into secondary structures which are remarkably similar to secondary structures proposed for the rRNAs of mouse mtDNA. The replication origin-containing, A+T-rich region (1077 nucleotides; 92.8% A+T), which lies between the tRNAile gene and the small rRNA gene, lacks open reading frames greater than 123 nucleotides.     

Drosophila Melanogaster Mitochondrial DNA: Gene Organization and Evolutionary Considerations

The sequence of a 8351-nucleotide mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragment has been obtained extending the knowledge of the Drosophila melanogaster mitochondrial genome to 90% of its coding region. The sequence encodes seven polypeptides, 12 tRNAs and the 3' end of the 16S rRNA and CO III genes. The gene organization is strictly conserved with respect to the Drosophila yakuba mitochondrial genome, and different from that found in mammals and Xenopus. The high A + T content of D. melanogaster mitochondrial DNA is reflected in a reiterative codon usage, with more than 90% of the codons ending in T or A, G + C rich codons being practically absent. The average level of homology between the D. melanogaster and D. yakuba sequences is very high (roughly 94%), although insertion and deletions have been detected in protein, tRNA and large ribosomal genes. The analysis of nucleotide changes reveals a similar frequency for transitions and transversions, and reflects a strong bias against G + C on both strands. The predominant type of transition is strand specific.     

人U_1和U_2 snRNA基因5''''端区域中SV_(40)T抗原结合位点的作用

利用寡聚核苷酸指导的基因定位突变技术,从人U_1和U_2 snRNA基因5'端删去或取代能与SV_(40)T抗原结合的位点,构成基因的缺失和取代突变体。在HeLa细胞核抽提物体外转录系统中,U_1和U_2缺失及取代突变基因与野生型基因有相同的转录水平,而且RNA的合成都是从帽子位点的上游开始的。这意味着基因这一区域的突变不改变其体外转录性质。在人的HeLa和293细胞及蛙卵母细胞中,U_1和U_2缺失突变基因不被转录,而取代突变基因的转录却又恢复到野生型基因水平。这表明人的U_1和U_2基因在这三种细胞内的转录与SV_(40)T抗原结合位点的核苷酸排列顺序无关,而由于结合位点的缺失所造成的空间距离上的变化才是影响转录的主要因素。