Processing of precursors of 21S ribosomal RNA from yeast mitochondria

The transcription and processing of mitochondrial 21S rRNA in a petite strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been examined by electron microscopic analysis of R-loop hybrids and by hybridization of labeled mitochondrial DNA probes to RNA transferred to diazobenzyloxymethyl paper. We have shown the presence of a large [5.1- to 5.4-kilobase (kb)] transcript that appears to be a precursor of mitochondrial 21S rRNA. This transcript contains sequences homologous to those of the mature 21S rRNA, to the intervening sequence present in the gene, and to additional sequences at the 3' end of the molecule. Our data suggest that this precursor of 21S rRNA is processed in two steps. The intron sequence is usually excised first, followed by removal of the extra 3' sequences. In some cases, however, the 3' extension is first removed and the intron sequence is then excised. Both pathways appear to lead to formation of the 3.1-kb mature 21S rRNA and a stable 1.2-kb intron transcript. Similar results were obtained with grande MH41-7B mitochondrial RNA by RNA transfer hybridization. We have also observed a number of additional transcripts that may be normal processing intermediates or may result from faulty cleavage-ligation during excision of the intervening sequence.

Transcription, processing, and mapping of mitochondrial RNA from grande and petite yeast

Mitochondrial RNA (mtRNA) from petite yeast strains was analyzed by electrophoresis in agarose-urea, acrylamide-urea, and agarose-methyl mercuric hydroxide gels, and by transfer to diazobenzyloxy-methyl paper and hybridization to labeled mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Petites contain numerous mitochondrial transcripts, including processed species like 21 S and 14 S rRNA. Petite transcripts were found to fall into three classes: 1) bands that comigrate with grande mtRNA species; 2) "group-specific" new bands found in multiple strains and coinciding with specific regions of the mitochondrial genome; and 3) "strain-specific" new bands found only in individual petite strains. A deletion map was constructed in which we used the presence or absence of the first two types of mtRNA bands in specific strains, and the restriction endonuclease map of these strains. This map confirmed the localization of 21 S and 14 S rRNA, which were mapped previously by hybridization, and also localized more than 20 additional mtRNA species. The mtRNA species were grouped in regions of the genome in a fashion that strongly suggests that many of them are precursors to fully processed mtRNA species. Hybridization experiments with grande mtRNA and cloned mtDNA fragments have shown the same kind of transcript grouping. Other hybridization experiments have demonstrated two apparent precursors to 21 S rRNA (3700 nucleotides) measuring 5500 and 4500 nucleotides. Processed tRNAs are found only in petites that contain a specific region of the genome near the P (paromomycin resistance) locus. When this region is absent, processed tRNAs are not detected, even for tRNA genes quite distant from the P locus. Since this phenotype is expressed in petites that lack mitochondrial protein synthesis, and since it maps to a specific location in the mitochondrial genome, there appears to be a mtRNA species which has a role in processing of mitochondrial tRNA.

Localization of the arginine tRNA gene to the D segment of T5 bacteriophage DNA. A new procedure for producing duplex DNA fragments

The tRNA genes of bacteriophage T5 are located in four clusters on the continuous heavy DNA strand (Chen, M.-J., Locker, J., and Weiss, S.B. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 536--547). Three of the four clusters are within the DNA C segment; the fourth cluster, to which only tRNAArg has been localized, maps in a 3.02 kilobase (kb) region of which 1.99 kb are at the right end of the C segment and 1.03 kb at the left end of the D segment. In order to localize the tRNAArg gene further and to define its relationship to the C-D nick, we devised a suitable method for preparing T5 DNA fragments whose ends correspond to the position of the T5 DNA nicks contained in the light DNA strand. In this method, DNA is denatured, partially renatured, and digested with low concentrations of S1 nuclease. Agarose-gel electrophoresis of these digests gives a pattern of bands which correlate in size with the pattern expected from the nicked structure of T5 DNA. Annealing of individual purified T5 [35P]tRNA species to the T5 DNA fragments transferred to nitrocellulose filters shows that tRNAArg hybridizes exclusively to the D fragment and is therefore localized to 1.03 kb at the 5' (left) end of the heavy strand of the D segment. This finding suggests that the promotor for this early gene is to the right of the C-D nick in T5 DNA; hence, the C-D nick does not coincide with this early promotor.

The physical mapping of bacteriophage T5 transfer tRNAs

Transfer RNAs, isolated from Escherichia coli F cells infected with T5 bacteriophage, were charged with radioactive amino acids and used in RNA-DNA hybridization studies to detect and locate T5 tRNA cistrons in the T5 DNA chromosome. Hybridization of 14 3H-aminoacyl-tRNA species, including purified T5 [35S]Met-tRNAm and [35S]Met-tRNAf, to the separated strands of T5+ DNA indicates that most, if not all, of the T5 tRNAs are transcribed from the continuous heavy strand of T5 DNA. Heteroduplex mapping of eight mutant T5 DNA deletions has enabled us to locate and determine the size of these deleted segments. By correlating this information with the presence and absence of specific tDNA sequences in these mutants, as determined by tRNA-DNA hybridization, we were able to define the physical limits of four tDNA-containing loci along the T5 DNA molecule. A physical map for 15 tRNA species examined indicates that the structural genes for these tRNAs are clustered within a segment length of T5 DNA that represents approximately 11.2% of the total wild type T5 DNA. The existence of the deletion mutants indicates that T5 tRNAs are dispensable for T5 replication under the growth conditions and for the host employed.

Tandem inverted repeats in mitochondrial DNA of petite mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Denatured mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from a grande (wild-type) yeast strain and a series of derived genetically characterized cytoplasmic petite mutants was examined in the electron microscope as DNA-protein monolayers prepared under conditions that permitted little bimolecular renaturation. In the grande and some petite strains, the mtDNA remained predominantly single-stranded. However, in several petite strains, a large proportion of molecules contained double-stranded segments indicative of unimolecular renaturation due to the presence of inverted repeat sequences. The length of the double-stranded segments of strain E41 was compared to the periodicity seen on denaturation maps. A repeat spacing twice the length of the inverted repeats was observed in the denaturation map. Inverted repeat length was similar to contour length of circular mtDNA molecules in this strain. On the basis of these observations most of the mtDNA from petite strain E41 appeared to consist of polymers of tandem inverted repeats interspersed with a small single-stranded "spacer" sequence between the repeat segments. In contrast, petite strain F13 mtDNA had few or no inverted repeats and showed a regular periodicity of 0.14 mum in the denaturation map, similar in length to the 0.13-mum circles present in the isolated mtDNA.