The conformation of tRNA genes. Chemical modification studies.
It has been suggested that eukaryotic tRNA genes might adopt a higher order stem and loop structure to facilitate transcription by interaction of their variably spaced intragenic promoter blocks. Using sodium bisulphite, which reacts specifically with cytosine residues in single-stranded nucleic acids, no deamination of C in the TTCGAA sequence of the 3' ICR of a tRNA(Leu) gene could be detected under conditions which caused 60% deamination of cytosine residues within the loop region of a synthetic cruciform cloned in the same negatively supercoiled plasmid vector. We conclude that, under these conditions, such structures occur in tRNA genes very rarely, if at all.
McLaren
A
A
Department of Biochemistry, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Gonos
E S
ES
Carr
T
T
Goddard
J P
JP
D004278:DNA, Superhelical / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010957:Plasmids; D012356:RNA, Transfer, Leu / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013447:Sulfites / Q000494:pharmacology
D004278:DNA, Superhelical; D012356:RNA, Transfer, Leu; D013447:Sulfites; C005200:sodium metabisulfite