Identification of the 5S RNA binding site in intermolecular complexes of wheat embryo ribosomal 5S and 18S RNA.

The nucleotide sequence in wheat embryo ribosomal 5S RNA that binds by complementary base pairing to ribosomal 18S RNA has been identified. The 5S--18S RNA complex was formed in vitro and the interacting regions of the two RNA chains were isolated by a combination of nuclease digestion and electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels. The binding site is close to the 3'-end of the 5S RNA molecule and contains a maximum of 24 nucleotides.