A small portion of plastid transcripts is polyadenylated in the flagellate Euglena gracilis.
Euglena gracilis possesses secondary plastids of green algal origin. In this study, E. gracilis expressed sequence tags (ESTs) derived from polyA-selected mRNA were searched and several ESTs corresponding to plastid genes were found. PCR experiments failed to detect SL sequence at the 5'-end of any of these transcripts, suggesting plastid origin of these polyadenylated molecules. Quantitative PCR experiments confirmed that polyadenylation of transcripts occurs in the Euglena plastids. Such transcripts have been previously observed in primary plastids of plants and algae as low-abundance intermediates of transcript degradation. Our results suggest that a similar mechanism exists in secondary plastids.
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Kristína
K
Záhonová
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Lucia
L
Hadariová
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Rostislav
R
Vacula
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Vyacheslav
V
Yurchenko
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Marek
M
Eliáš
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Juraj
J
Krajčovič
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. Electronic address: vesteg@fns.uniba.sk.
Matej
M
Vesteg
D005056:Euglena gracilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D054627:Genome, Plastid; D018087:Plastids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D026723:Polyadenylation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016053:RNA, Protozoan
EST; Euglenozoa; Plastid; Polyadenylation; Quantitative PCR; Trans-splicing