Occurrence of introns in the 16S rRNA genes of members of the genus Thermoproteus.
Multiple introns were detected in the 16S rRNA gene of newly isolated Thermoproteus species strains IC-033 and IC-061 and Thermoproteus neutrophilus JCM 9278. In the 16S rRNA gene of strain IC-033, five introns of 627, 762, 636, 33, and 682 bp existed after positions 548, 781, 1092, 1205, and 1213 (according to the Escherichia coli numbering system), respectively. Likewise, strain IC-061 possessed 764-, 32-, and 688-bp introns after positions 781, 1205, and 1213, respectively; and T. neutrophilus JCM 9278 had 34- and 663-bp introns after positions 1205 and 1213, respectively. All the introns carried the putative intron core structures consisting of a bulge-helix-bulge motif and a long stable stem. The large introns carried open reading frames containing the LAGLI-DADG-like motifs in their terminal inserts; however, three out of four large introns of strain IC-033 seemed to incur frameshift mutations. Occurrence of introns at the same insertion sites in the three strains would allow tracing of the evolutionary movements of these introns.
Itoh
T
T
Japan Collection of Microorganisms, The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. ito@ulmus.riken.go.jp
Suzuki
K
K
Nakase
T
T
D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016368:Frameshift Mutation; D019766:Genes, Archaeal; D007438:Introns; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019642:RNA, Archaeal / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019624:Thermoproteaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012407:rRNA Operon / Q000235:genetics*
D019642:RNA, Archaeal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S