Regions of Intermolecular Complementarity in Escherichia coli 16S rRNA,mRNA, and tRNA Molecules

The results of computer analysis of complementarity regions in the sequences of E. coli 16S rRNA, mRNAs and tRNAs are reported in this article. The potential regions of intermolecular RNA–RNA hybridization, or clinger fragments, in 16S rRNA, which are complementary to the sites frequently occurring in mRNAs and tRNAs, were found. Major clinger fragments on 16S rRNA are universal for genes that belong to different functional groups. Our results show there are adaptations of the structural organization of the 16S rRNA molecule to messenger and transport RNA sequences. RNA interaction with clinger fragments may contribute to upregulation of the translation process through increasing the local concentration of mRNAs and tRNAs in the vicinity of the ribosome and their proper positioning, as well as decrease the efficiency of translation through nonspecific mRNA–16SrRNA interactions.