title: On the characterization of the putative S20-thx operon of Thermus thermophilus.
abstract: A putative operon of the ribosomal proteins S20 and Thx has been determined in a 1.4 kb sequenced region of T. thermophilus genomic DNA. Both genes have a promoter sequence 29 nt upstream of ORF1, possess their own Shine-Dalgarno motifs (GGAG) and are separated by only 9 nucleotides, a feature characteristic of the compact Thermus thermophilus genome. This is a novel arrangement, since Thx is unique to the Thermus bacteria and in all other prokaryotes the S20 gene is monocistronic. Our results, in conjunction with the recent finding that Thx is located on the top of the head of the 30S subunit in a cavity between multiple RNA elements stabilizing them with its positive charge, corroborate the observation that thermophilic ribosomes require constituents with special features for their stabilization at high temperatures.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Chemistry, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Greece.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leontiadou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Triantafillidou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Choli-Papadopoulou
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004474:Ecthyma, Contagious / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016963:Thermus thermophilus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; C082829:Thx protein, Thermus; C029611:ribosomal protein S20