Burggraf S, Larsen N, Woese C R, Stetter K O
Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universität Regensburg, Germany.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Mar 15;90(6):2547-50. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.6.2547.
The 16S rRNA genes of Pyrobaculum aerophilum and Pyrobaculum islandicum were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, and the resulting products were sequenced directly. The two organisms are closely related by this measure (over 98% similar). However, they differ in that the (lone) 16S rRNA gene of Pyrobaculum aerophilum contains a 713-bp intron not seen in the corresponding gene of Pyrobaculum islandicum. To our knowledge, this is the only intron so far reported in the small subunit rRNA gene of a prokaryote. Upon excision the intron is circularized. A secondary structure model of the intron-containing rRNA suggests a splicing mechanism of the same type as that invoked for the tRNA introns of the Archaea and Eucarya and 23S rRNAs of the Archaea. The intron contains an open reading frame whose protein translation shows no certain homology with any known protein sequence.
通过聚合酶链反应扩增嗜气火球菌和冰岛火球菌的16S rRNA基因,并对所得产物直接进行测序。通过这种方法,这两种生物密切相关(相似度超过98%)。然而,它们的不同之处在于,嗜气火球菌(唯一的)16S rRNA基因含有一个713bp的内含子,而冰岛火球菌的相应基因中没有。据我们所知,这是迄今为止在原核生物小亚基rRNA基因中报道的唯一内含子。切除后,内含子环化。含内含子rRNA的二级结构模型表明,其剪接机制与古细菌和真核生物的tRNA内含子以及古细菌的23S rRNA所采用的剪接机制相同。该内含子包含一个开放阅读框,其蛋白质翻译与任何已知蛋白质序列均无确定的同源性。