Nucleic Acids Research, Vol 27, Issue 8 1906-1911, Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press
GW Muth, CM Thompson and WE Hill
Studying the intricate folding of rRNA within the ribosome remains a
complex problem. Phenanthroline-Cu(II) complexes cleave phosphodiester
bonds in rRNA in specific regions, apparently especially where the rRNA
structure is constrained in some fashion. We have introduced
phenanthroline-copper complexes into 50S Escherichia coli ribosomal
subunits and shown specific cleavages in the regions containing nucleotides
60-66 and 87-100. This specificity of cleavage is reduced when the ribosome
is heated to 80 degrees C and reduced to background when the ribosomal
proteins are extracted and the cleavage repeated on protein-free 23S rRNA.
It has been suggested that nucleotides 60-66 and 87-95 in E.coli 23S rRNA
are involved in a putative pseudoknot structure, which is supported by
covariance data. The paired cleavages of nearly equal intensity of these
two regions, when in the ribosome, may further support the existence of a
pseudoknot structure in the 100 region of 23S rRNA.
ARTICLES
Cleavage of a 23S rRNA pseudoknot by phenanthroline-Cu(II)
Department of Chemistry, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
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