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J Bacteriol. 1979 October; 140(1): 131-140
Copyright © 1979, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Comparative Surface Structure of 16S Ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid of 30S Ribosomes of Procaryotic Cells

Melvin Santer, Shu-Ching Chung, George Harmon, Michael Estner, Joseph P. Hendrick, James Hopper, Christina Brecht and Prem Pandhi

¹ Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041

ABSTRACT

Ribonuclease T₁ treatment of 30S ribosomes of Escherichia coli converts a large region at the 3' OH end of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) to low-molecular-weight RNA. The final 25 nucleotides at the 3' terminus of the molecule emerge relatively intact, whereas most of the region "upstream," for about 150 nucleotides, is converted to oligonucleotides. Identical enzyme treatment generates a fragment of about 60 nucleotides from the middle of 16S rRNA (section D'). To determine whether there are similar sequences in other bacteria, which occupy similar accessible surface locations, we treated 30S ribosomes from Azotobacter vinelandii and Bacillus stearothermophilus with RNase T₁. In each case, a fragment of RNA about 25 nucleotides in length containing the 3' OH end of 16S rRNA and a fragment of about 60 nucleotides in length similar, but not identical, in oligonucleotide composition to section D' of E. coli 16S rRNA were obtained from nuclease-treated 30S ribosomes. These data indicate that, although the primary structure at the 3' end and the middle (section D') of the various 16S rRNA's is not completely conserved, their respective conformations are conserved. A number of identical oligonucleotides were found in the low-molecular-weight fraction obtained from RNase T₁-treated E. coli, A. vinelandii, and B. stearothermophilus 30S ribosomes. These results show that identical RNase T₁-sensitive sequences are present in all three bacteria. Hydrolysis of these regions leads to the production of the fragments 25 and 60 nucleotides in length.

Present address: Department of Biology, Clarion State College, Clarion, PA 16214.