Unique sequence arrangement of ribosomal genes in the palindromic rDNA molecule of Physarum polycephalum.

R-loop and restriction mapping procedures reveal the organization of coding regions at each end of the giant rDNA palindrome of Physarum polycephalum. A 19S coding region of 2.10 +/- 0.21 kb is located at each end of a very long central spacer (35.64 +/- 2.08 kb). An internal spacer of 1.66 +/- 0.12 kb lies distal to the 19S gene. The 5.8S rRNA coding region is located in this spacer. The 26S gene lies distal to the internal spacer. The 26S gene is unusual among those of eukaryotes in that it consists of 3 coding regions (alpha, beta and gamma) interrupted by 2 intervening sequences. The 26S alpha (most central) coding segment of 2.41 +/- 0.33 kb is separated from the 26S beta segment by an intervening sequence of 0.68 +/- 0.13 kb. The 26S beta segment (0.70 +/- 0.11 kb) is separated from the most distal 26S gamma segment (0.59 +/- 0.14 kb) by an intervening sequence of 1.21 +/- 0.14 kb. The 2 intervening sequences are present in at least 88% of ribsomal genes from active plasmodia, indicating that genes containing these sequences are transcribed. The rDNA termini contain a heterogeneous region which varies in length by +/- 300 base pairs.     

Cloning and organization of genes for 5S ribosomal RNA in the sea urchin. Lytechinus variegatus

A 1.35-kb EcoRI fragment of Lytechinus variegatus DNA containing a single 5S rRNA gene has been cloned into the plasmid vector pACYC184. Four clones from different transformation experiments contain 5S rDNA inserts of about the same size and have the same restriction enzyme digestion patterns for the enzymes HaeIII, HinfI, HhaI, and AluI. One EcoRI site near the HindIII site of the plasmid vector pACYC184 is missing in all the four clones. By DNA sequencing, the missing EcoRI ws found to be EcoRI site, d(AAATTN)d(TTTAAN) in pLu103, one of the four 5S rDNA clones. The structure of pLu103 was determined by restriction mapping and blot hybridization. Three restriction fragments, 1.0-kb HaeIII/HaeIII, 0.375-kb AluI/AluI and 0.249-kb MboII/MboII, which contain the 5S rRNA coding region, have been subcloned into the EcoRI site of the plasmid pACYC184. The organization of 5S rRNA genes in the sea urchin genome was also investigated. It was found that restriction endonuclease HaeIII has a single recognition site within each 5S rDNA repeat, and yields two fragment lengths, 1.2 and 1.3 kb. The behavior of these 5S rRNA genes when total L. variegatus DNA is partially digested with HaeIII is consistent with an arrangement of 5S rRNA genes in at least two tandemly repeated, non-interspersed families. Both the coding region and spacer region of the 5S rRNA gene in pLu103 hybridize to 1.2 and 1.3-kb rDNA families. This indicates that the cloned EcoRI fragment of 5S rDNA in pLu103 represents one single repeat of 5S rDNA in the genome.     

Identifying functional regions of rRNA by insertion mutagenesis and complete gene replacement in Tetrahymena thermophila.

The free, linear macronuclear ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) of Tetrahymena are derived from a unique copy of micronuclear rDNA during development. We have injected cloned copies of the micronuclear rDNA that have been altered in vitro into developing macronuclei and obtained transformants that express the paromomycin-resistant phenotype specified by the injected rDNA. In most cases, these transformants contain almost exclusively the injected rDNA which has been accurately processed into macronuclear rDNA. Mutants with a 119 bp insertion at three points in the transcribed spacers and at two points in the 26S rRNA coding region were tested. Cells containing these spacer mutant rDNAs are viable, although one of them grows slowly. This slow-growing line contains the insertion between the 5.8S and 26S rRNA coding regions and accumulates more rRNA processing intermediates than control lines. One of the 26S rRNA mutants failed to generate transformants, but the other did. These transformants grew normally, and produced 26S rRNA containing the inserted sequence. A longer insertion (2.3 kb) at the same four points either abolished transformation or generated transformants that retained at least some wild-type rDNA. This study reveals that some rRNA sequences can be altered without significantly affecting cell growth.     

Dynamics of 5S rDNA in the tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) genome: repeat units,inverted sequences,pseudogenes and chromosome loci

In higher eukaryotes, the 5S ribosomal DNA (5S rDNA) is organized in tandem arrays with repeat units composed of a coding region and a non-transcribed spacer sequence (NTS). These tandem arrays can be found on either one or more chromosome pairs. 5S rDNA copies from the tilapia fish, Oreochromis niloticus, were cloned and the nucleotide sequences of the coding region and of the non-transcribed spacer were determined. Moreover, the genomic organization of the 5S rDNA tandem repeats was investigated by fluorescence IN SITU hybridization (FISH) and Southern blot hybridization. Two 5S rDNA classes, one consisting of 1.4-kb repeats and another one with 0.5-kb repeats were identified and designated 5S rDNA type I and type II, respectively. An inverted 5S rRNA gene and a 5S rRNA putative pseudogene were also identified inside the tandem repeats of 5S rDNA type I. FISH permitted the visualization of the 5S rRNA genes at three chromosome loci, one of them consisting of arrays of the 5S rDNA type I, and the two others corresponding to arrays of the 5S rDNA type II. The two classes of the 5S rDNA, the presence of pseudogenes, and the inverted genes observed in the O. niloticus genome might be a consequence of the intense dynamics of the evolution of these tandem repeat elements.     

Evolution in the block: common elements of 5S rDNA organization and evolutionary patterns in distant fish genera

The 5S rDNA is organized in the genome as tandemly repeated copies of a structural unit composed of a coding sequence plus a nontranscribed spacer (NTS). The coding region is highly conserved in the evolution, whereas the NTS vary in both length and sequence. It has been proposed that 5S rRNA genes are members of a gene family that have arisen through concerted evolution. In this study, we describe the molecular organization and evolution of the 5S rDNA in the genera Lepidorhombus and Scophthalmus (Scophthalmidae) and compared it with already known 5S rDNA of the very different genera Merluccius (Merluccidae) and Salmo (Salmoninae), to identify common structural elements or patterns for understanding 5S rDNA evolution in fish. High intra- and interspecific diversity within the 5S rDNA family in all the genera can be explained by a combination of duplications, deletions, and transposition events. Sequence blocks with high similarity in all the 5S rDNA members across species were identified for the four studied genera, with evidences of intense gene conversion within noncoding regions. We propose a model to explain the evolution of the 5S rDNA, in which the evolutionary units are blocks of nucleotides rather than the entire sequences or single nucleotides. This model implies a "two-speed" evolution: slow within blocks (homogenized by recombination) and fast within the gene family (diversified by duplications and deletions).     

Sequence analysis of the transcribed and 5'' non-transcribed regions of the ribosomal RNA gene in Dictyostelium discoideum

The nucleotide sequence of Dictyostelium discoideum rDNA extending over almost the entire transcribed region and a part of the 5' non-transcribed spacer region has been determined. Computer analysis revealed that there were several conserved sequences in the 17S, 5.8S and 26S coding regions when compared with the sequences at analogous positions in some eukaryotic rRNA genes. The data also showed that the D. discoideum rDNA contains several extra sequences, which have not been found in other eukaryotes' rDNAs , near the 3' terminus of the 17S coding region and the 5' terminus of the 26S coding region.     

Sequence arrangement of the rRNA genes of the dipteran Sarcophaga bullata

Velocity sedimentation studies of RNA of Sarcophaga bullata show that the major rRNA species have sedimentation values of 26S and 18S. Analysis of the rRNA under denaturing conditions indicates that there is a hidden break centrally located in the 26S rRNA species. Saturation hybridization studies using total genomic DNA and rRNA show that 0.08% of the nuclear DNA is occupied by rRNA coding sequences and that the average repetition frequency of these coding sequences is approximately 144. The arrangement of the rRNA genes and their spacer sequences on long strands of purified rDNA was determined by the examination of the structure of rRNa:DNA hybrids in the electron microscope. Long DNA strands contain several gene sets (18S + 26S) with one repeat unit containing the following sequences in order given: (a) An 18S gene of length 2.12 kb, (b) an internal transcribed spacer of length 2.01 kb, which contains a short sequence that may code for a 5.8S rRNA, (c) A 26S gene of length 4.06 kb which, in 20% of the cases, contains an intron with an average length of 5.62 kb, and (d) an external spacer of average length of 9.23 kb.     

Molecular organization of 5S rDNA in fishes of the genus Brycon.

There are few reports on the genomic organization of 5S rDNA in fish species. To characterize the 5S rDNA nucleotide sequence and chromosomal localization in the Neotropical fishes of the genus Brycon, 5S rDNA copies from seven species were generated by PCR. The nucleotide sequences of the coding region (5S rRNA gene) and the nontranscribed spacer (NTS) were determined, revealing that the 5S rRNA genes were highly conserved, while the NTSs were widely variable among the species analyzed. Moreover, two classes of NTS were detected in each species, characterized by base substitutions and insertions-deletions. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), two 5S rDNA chromosome loci that could be related to the two 5S rDNA NTS classes were observed in at least one of the species studied. 5S rDNA sequencing and chromosomal localization permitted the characterization of Brycon spp. and suggest a higher similarity among some of them. The data obtained indicate that the 5S rDNA can be an useful genetic marker for species identification and evolutionary studies.     

Organization of ribosomal genes in Paramecium tetraurelia

The macronuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of the ciliated protozoan Paramecium tetraurelia (stock 51) was analyzed by digestion with restriction endonucleases. The fragments which contained ribosomal RNA (rRNA) coding sequences and spacer sequences were identified. The spacer sequences exhibited some heterogeneity in size. The genes coding for 5.8S RNA, but not for 5S RNA, are linked to the 17S and 25S rRNA genes. Complementary RNA, synthesized from rDNA of stock 51, was hybridized with restriction digests of whole cell DNA from six other allopatric stocks of this species. The restriction patterns of the rDNA from these seven stocks were, in general, very similar, and the sizes of the coding sequences were identical in all seven stocks. Only the restriction pattern of rDNA from stock 127 differed significantly from that of stock 51. The rDNA from stock 127 was isolated and characterized, and with the exception of the restriction pattern of its spacer, it resembled the rDNA from stock 51. It is concluded that the rDNA repeat in Paramecium, including the spacer, has, in general, been conserved during the course of evolution. It is suggested that in some species, even in the absence of genetic exchange among geographically separated populations, selection pressure may act to conserve spacers of tandemly repeated rDNA. The conservation may be related to the number of rDNA copies in the germinal nucleus.     

Identification of a lipoamide dehydrogenase gene as second locus affected in poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid)-leaky mutants of Alcaligenes eutrophus

Ribosomal rRNA gene fragments (rDNA) encompassing the 16S rDNA, the 16S-23S rDNA spacer region and part of the 23S rDNA of 95 strains belonging to 13 well-described taxa of the eubacterial family Comamonadaceae (beta subclass of the Proteobacteria or rRNA superfamily III) were enzymatically amplified using conserved primers. The fragments of approximately 2400 base pairs were subjected to restriction analysis. Restriction fragment length patterns obtained with HinfI enabled us to distinguish 9 of the 13 taxa studied. Restriction with CfoI was necessary to differentiate Acidovorax delafieldii from A. temperans and Hydrogenophaga flava from H. pseudoflava. The results indicate that amplified rDNA restriction analysis is a simple and reliable tool for the identification of bacterial species.     

Heterogeneity in the ribosomal RNA genes of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica; cloning and analysis of two size classes of repeats

Southern blotting of DNA from the ascomycetous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica revealed two major size classes of DNA units coding for rRNAs, which differ in length by about 1000 bp. We have cloned an rDNA unit of each size class. R-looping experiments revealed that the rRNA genes of both units are uninterrupted; subsequent heteroduplex analysis showed that the size difference both units is located within the nontranscribed spacer. Sequence analysis revealed that a major part of these spacers consists of a complex pattern of repetitions in periodicities of up to about 150 bp and that the difference between both rDNA units are located mainly in this repetitive region. Apart from different lengths of the repetitive regions, both rDNA units also reveal extended microheterogeneity within their homologous parts. Furthermore, no gene for 5S rRNA was observed in the spacer region. Therefore, the organization of the spacer of Yarrowia rDNA is clearly different from that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.