title: Self-splicing group I intron in cyanobacterial initiator methionine tRNA: evidence for lateral transfer of introns in bacteria.
abstract: A group I self-splicing intron has been found in the anticodon loop of tRNA(fMet) genes in three cyanobacterial genera: Dermocarpa, Scytonema and Synechocystis; it is absent in nine others. The Synechocystis intron is also interrupted by an open reading frame (ORF) of 150 codons. Of these three bacteria, only Scytonema also contains the group I intron that has previously been reported in tRNA(Leu) (UAA) genes in both cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. The presence of an ORF in the tRNA(fMet) intron, the sporadic distribution of the intron among cyanobacteria and the lack of correlation between relatedness of the intron sequences and the bacteria in which they reside, are all consistent with recent introduction of this intron by lateral transfer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY 12222.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Biniszkiewicz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cesnaviciene
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Shub
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D012326:RNA Splicing / Q000502:physiology*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D012358:RNA, Transfer, Met / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012358:RNA, Transfer, Met