Ribosomal cistrons in higher plant cells. II. Sequence homology between the two mature rRNAs of sycamore cells and intracistronic reiteration. A DNA - rRNA hybridization study.

1. Uniformly labelled rRNA of sycamore cells has been annealed with homologous DNA. The fractions of DNA complementary to the 17S, or 26S, or 17S + 26S rRNAs are found to be 0.19%, 0.15% and 0.23%. They are not in the ratio of the molecular weight values (0.8, 1.2 and 2 - 10(6), respectively for the 17S, 26S and 17S + 26S rRNAs). This result is compatible with the large hybridization competition observed between the two rRNAs (53 and 72%) and with the shift-down of saturation curves when DNA is presaturated with unlabelled rRNA before the incubation with the other labelled rRNA. 2. Under the selected experimental procedure, the DNA - rRNA hybrids formed appear to be specific. Since there is an equal number of structural genes for the 17S and 26S rRNAs, these results mean the occurrence of a great sequence homology, strictly restricted to the two rRNAs. Homologous and specific sequences have been estimated to 0.1 and 0.7, or 0.85 and 0.35 million daltons, respectively in the 17S or 26S structural genes. 3. From the calculated lengths of homologous sequences, an intracistronic reiteration of some ribosomal sequences can be deduced. This internal reiteration is directly evidenced by the complex pattern of DNA - rRNA annealing curves. As demonstrated by base-composition analysis, the internal reiteration is heterogeneous and concerns both the homologous and specific sequences. In addition, the DNA saturation values allow the calculation of 4000 copies for the ribosomal cistron in the whole sycamore genome.