Partial P1 nuclease digestion as a probe of tRNA structure.

Partial P1 nuclease digestion of 5'-32P-labeled tRNAs, followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography, results in a series of bands of unequal intensities. Comparison of the digestion profiles of two conformers of yeast tRNA3Leu shows that P1 nuclease is sensitive to structural features of its substrate. Examination of the digestion pattern of yeast tRNAPhe in light of its known three-dimensional conformation shows that the enzyme's activity reflects the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of tRNA structure.