RNA editing by cytidine insertion in mitochondria of Physarum polycephalum

A corollary of the central dogma of molecular biology is that genetic information passes from DNA to RNA by the continuous synthesis of RNA on a DNA template. The demonstration of RNA editing (the specific insertion, deletion or substitution of residues in RNA to create an RNA with a sequence different from its own template) raised the possibility that in some cases not all of the genetic information for a trait residues in the DNA template. Two different types of RNA editing have been identified in mitochondria: insertional editing represented by the extensive insertion (and occasional deletion) of uridine residues in mitochondrial RNAs of the kinetoplastid protozoa and the substitutional editing represented by the cytidine to uridine substitutions in some plant mitochondria. These editing types have not been shown to be present in the same organism and may have very different mechanisms. RNA editing of both types has been observed in nonmitochondrial systems but is not as extensive and may involve still different mechanisms. Here we report the discovery of extensive insertional RNA editing in mitochondria from an organism other than a kinetoplastid protozoan. The mitochondrial RNA apparently encoding the alpha subunit of ATP synthetase in the acellular slime mould, Physarum polycephalum, is edited at 54 sites by cytidine insertion.     

RNA editing in wheat mitochondria results in the conservation of protein sequences

RNA editing is a process that results in the production of a messenger RNA with nucleotide sequences that differ from those of the template DNA, and provides another mechanism for modulating gene expression. The phenomenon was initially described in the mitochondria of protozoa. Here we report that RNA editing is also required for the correct expression of plant mitochondrial genes. It has previously been proposed that in plant mitochondria there is a departure from the universal genetic code, with CGG specifying tryptophan instead of arginine. This was because CGG codons are often found in plant mitochondrial genes at positions corresponding to those encoding conserved tryptophans in other organisms. We have now found, however, wheat mitochondrial gene sequences containing C residues that are edited to U residues in the corresponding mRNA sequences. In this way, CGG codons can be changed to UGG codons in the mRNA so that tryptophan may be encoded according to the universal genetic code. Furthermore, for each codon modification resulting from a C----U conversion that we studied, we found a corresponding change in the amino acid that was encoded. RNA editing in wheat mitochondria can thus maintain genetic information at the RNA level and as a result contribute to the conservation of mitochondrial protein sequences among plants.     

Alu sequences are processed 7SL RNA genes

7SL RNA is an abundant cytoplasmic RNA which functions in protein secretion as a component of the signal recognition particle. Alu sequences are the most abundant family of human and rodent middle repetitive DNA sequences (reviewed in ref. 2). The primary structure of human 7SL RNA consists of an Alu sequence interrupted by a 155-base pair (bp) sequence that is unique to 7SL RNA. In order to obtain information about the evolution of the Alu domain of 7SL RNA, we have determined the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA copy of Xenopus laevis 7SL RNA and of the 7SL RNA gene of Drosophila melanogaster. We find that the Xenopus sequence is 87% homologous with its human counterpart and the Drosophila 7SL RNA is 64% homologous to both the human and amphibian molecules. Despite the evolutionary distance between the species, significant blocks of homology to both the Alu and 7SL-specific portions of mammalian 7SL RNA can be found in the insect sequence. These results clearly demonstrate that the Alu sequence in 7SL RNA appeared in evolution before the mammalian radiation. We suggest that mammalian Alu sequences were derived from 7SL RNA (or DNA) by a deletion of the central 7SL-specific sequence, and are therefore processed 7SL RNA genes.     

何首乌18S rRNA基因序列分析

目的 分析不同产地野生何首乌Fallopia multiflora(Thunb.) Harald及种植品种和伪品芭蕉的核基因组18S rRNA序列,为探讨野生和种植品种物种间的亲缘关系和鉴别提供分子依据 方法 采用PCR直接测序技术测定野生和种植的何首乌及芭蕉的18S rRNA基因核苷酸序列并作序列变异分析 结果 野生和种植的何首乌及芭蕉的18SrRNA序列长度均为 1809bp,根据排序比较,只有来自广西德保、广西药用植物园和云南野生植物18SrRNA基因序列在680、1712和1724有相同的碱基替代，其余的序列完全相同； 与何首乌基因序列相比较，伪品芭蕉有71个位点发生碱基置换，在284和1537位置上分别插入了C和A碱基，而在135和500位置分别缺失了T和A 结论 通过较保守的基18SrRNA基因序列同源性分析,基本可以认为野生品种和种植品种基原一致，可用于何首乌的真伪鉴定。     

鸡新城疫病毒ND-xx08株F基因的克隆及分析

新城疫病毒（NDV）ND-xx08毒株经10 d龄SPF鸡胚增殖后,提取其基因组RNA并反转录成cDNA,用NDV F基因特异性引物,经PCR扩增后获得与F基因预期大小一致的DNA片段。将NDV F基因片段克隆到pMD18-T载体上,并进行EcoR I和Hind III双酶切鉴定和测序鉴定。结果显示,ND-xx08毒株F基因片段的长度为1 662 bp,共编码554个氨基酸,F蛋白的裂解位点为112R-R-Q-K-R-F117,是典型强毒株氨基酸序列结构。将NDV ND-xx08株F基因的47 bp到420 bp序列与新城疫病毒基因型I至基因型Ⅸ毒株的相同序列绘制病毒基因进化树,显示ND-xx08分离株属于基因Ⅶe型。将NDV ND-xx08株F全基因与国内外发表的23株NDV F基因核苷酸序列和氨基酸序列的同源性比较分析,结果表明,其核苷酸序列的同源性在82.7%~97.8%之间,氨基酸同源性在87.5%~97.7%之间。     

Internal sequences that distinguish yeast from metazoan U2 snRNA are unnecessary for pre-mRNA splicing

U2 small nuclear RNA is a highly conserved component of the eukaryotic cell nucleus involved in splicing messenger RNA precursors. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, U2 RNA interacts with the intron by RNA-RNA pairing between the conserved branchpoint sequence UACUAAC and conserved nucleotides near the 5' end of U2 (ref. 4). Metazoan U2 RNA is less than 200 nucleotides in length, but yeast U2 RNA is 1,175 nucleotides long. The 5' 110 nucleotides of yeast U2 are homologous to the 5' 100 nucleotides of metazoan U2 (ref. 6), and the very 3' end of yeast U2 bears a weak structural resemblance to features near the 3' end of metazoan U2. Internal sequences of yeast U2 share primary sequence homology with metazoan U4, U5 and U6 small nuclear RNA (ref. 6), and have regions of complementarity with yeast U1 (ref. 7). We have investigated the importance of the internal U2 sequences by their deletion. Yeast cells carrying a U2 allele lacking 958 nucleotides of internal U2 sequence produce a U2 small nuclear RNA similar in size to that found in other organisms. Cells carrying only the U2 deletion grow normally, have normal levels of spliced mRNA and do not accumulate unspliced precursor mRNA. We conclude that the internal sequences of yeast U2 carry no essential function. The extra RNA may have a non-essential function in efficient ribonucleoprotein assembly or RNA stability. Variation in amount of RNA in homologous structural RNAs has precedence in ribosomal RNA and RNaseP.     

Discovery and demonstration of small circular DNA molecules derived from Chinese tomato yellow leaf curl virus

Tomato yetlow leaf curl viruses betong to Begomoviruses of geminiviruses. In this work, we first found and demonstrated that the small circular DNA molecules were derived from Chinese tomato yetlow leaf curl viruses (TYLCV-CHI). These small circular DNA molecules are about 1,3 kb, which are half the full-length of TYLCV-CHI DNA A. It was shown by sequence determination and analysis that there was unknown-origin sequence insertion in the middle of the small molecules. These sequences of unknown-origin were neither homologous to DNA A nor to DNA B, and were formed by recombination of virus DNA and plant DNA. Although various defective molecules contained different unknown-origin sequence insertion, all the molecules contained the intergenic region and part of the AC1 (Rep) gene. But they did not contain full ORF.     

西藏马线粒体DNA D loop区的遗传多样性

对西藏拉萨和泽当两个地区23匹西藏马的线粒体DNA控制区(mtDNA D-loop)部分片段进行序列分析, 检测出16个单倍型, 包括32个核苷酸多态性位点(其中转换位点31个, 缺失位点1个), 占所分析位点总数的9.27%. 单倍型多样性(h)和核苷酸多样性(π)分别为0.93±0.04和2.51%±0.16%, 表明西藏马的遗传多样性较丰富. 基于23匹西藏马序列以及现代欧亚马群的mtDNA序列, 进行了系统发育分析和多维尺度分析. 结果表明, 西藏马在母系遗传关系上与近东、 中亚以及欧洲家马有较近的亲缘关系, 与东亚的蒙古马以及韩国马亲缘关系较远.     

新疆羊肚菌rDNA的ITS序列分析

根据生境和形态学特征与大型真菌图鉴对照,从形体上挑选了4个羊肚菌子实体（其中3个来自哈密巴里坤,1个来自乌鲁木齐南山）,同时从四川绵阳某研究所购得一株高羊肚菌菌种做为实验阳性对照,为了确定收集的羊肚菌分类学地位,采用PCR技术,以rDNA—ITS为分子指标,对子实体和菌丝进行了ITS序列测定与分析,结合系统进化树确定品种归属。     

The transforming gene of Moloney murine sarcoma virus

A cleavage map of the Moloney murine sarcoma viral DNA was constructed and compared with that of a spontaneously occurring deletion mutant. By restriction enzyme analysis, it was shown that a region encompassing over 40% of the viral information was not essential for transformation or rescue of the deletion mutant. The transforming region was further localised by analysis of the transforming activity in tissue culture of isolated restriction fragments of linear duoble-stranded sarcoma viral DNA. In each case, DNA fragments that retained transforming activity preserved the cell-derived insertion sequences of the viral genome. Moreover, such transformants invariably expressed RNA specific to this region. By these two approaches, it was possible to demonstrate that the transforming region of the viral genome begins very near or within the cell-derived insertion sequences. Thus, the transforming gene of this mammalian sarcoma virus originates from within the mouse cell genome.