Processing by ribonuclease II of the tRNATyr precursor of Escherichia coli synthesized in vitro.

The tRNATyr precursor molecule, synthesized from phi 80 psu3+ DNA (containing a single tRNA gene) by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and q factor, was about 205 nucleotides long. The main product of its digestion with a ribonuclease tii preparation from Escherichia coli showed the same electrophoretic mobility as tRNAtyr precursor isolated in vivo and was found to be identical to it when analysed using fingerprint techniques. This intermediate precursor synthesized in vitro was converted further by processing with ribonuclease P into an RNA identical size to mature tRNATyr. It was concluded that the initiation of transcription of the tRNATyr gene in vitro occurs at the same site as that of transcription in vivo and a termination occurs at about 80 nucleotides beyond the CCA end of tRNATyr.