Fractionation and identification of cytoplasmic tRNAS and structural characterization of a phenylalanine and a leucine tRNA from cucumber hypocotyls.

Total cytoplasmic tRNAs from cucumber hypocotyls were fractionated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into about 56 species. Of these, 32 tRNA species were identified by aminoacylation as tRNA specific for 15 amino acids. Furthermore, cytoplasmic tRNA(Phe) and tRNA(Leu(NAA)) were purified to homogeneity by the combination of RPC-5 column chromatography and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The primary structure of tRNA(Leu(NAA)) and the modified nucleotides of tRNA(Phe) have been determined. The sequence of cucumber cytoplasmic tRNA(Leu(NAA)) is identical to that of bean cytoplasmic tRNA(Leu(NAA)) except for three base differences in the variable loop.