title: Sequence structures of two developmentally regulated, alternative DNA deletion junctions in Tetrahymena thermophila.
abstract: Deletions of specific DNA sequences are known to occur in Tetrahymena thermophila as a developmentally regulated process. Deletions of a particular region (region M) were previously shown to be of two alternative sizes, 0.6 or 0.9 kilobases (kb) (C.F. Austerberry, C.D. Allis, and M.-C. Yao, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81: 7383-7387). In this study, the nucleotide sequences for both deletions were determined. These two deletions share the same right junction, but their left junctions are 0.3 kb apart. An 8-base-pair (bp) sequence is present at both junctions of the 0.6-kb deletion, but only 5 bp of this direct repeat are present at the left junction of the 0.9-kb deletion. Further comparison revealed a common 10-bp sequence near each of the two left junctions and a similar sequence in inverted orientation near the right junction. These sequences may play a role in the developmental regulation of the deletion process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98104.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Austerberry
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013768:Tetrahymena / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D004247:DNA