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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #86773
Title: POSSIBLE SEPARATION OF THE GENES FOR 16S AND 23S RIBOSOMAL RNA ON THE CHROMOSOME OF DESULFOVIBRIO DESULFURICANS G20

Author
item Wickman, Tara
item WALL, J - UNIV MISSOURI, COLUMBIA

Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology Branch Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/17/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In most bacteria studied, the 16S-23S-5S ribosomal RNA genes are positioned in an operon with 1 to 7 copies present on the chromosome. Two approaches were taken to locate the ribosomal RNA genes on the chromosome map of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20. When D. desulfuricans G20 genomic DNA was digested with the restriction enzyme I-Ceu-I, three sites were found. I-Ceu-I is reported to cleave the genomic DNA of many bacteria specifically within the 23S rRNA genes. Unexpectedly, when the cloned 16S rRNA gene was used as a Southern hybridization probe, the gene mapped to 4 positions not located near the I-Ceu-I restriction sites. In D. desulfuricans, either the 23S and 16S rRNA genes are not positioned together or the enzyme I-Ceu-I does not cleave the chromosome at the position of the 23S rRNA gene. To address the latter possibility, oligonucleotides were made for both the I-Ceu-I recognition sequence and the 23S rRNA gene. When used as Southern hybridization probes, both oligonucleotides appeared to map to the same positions on the chromosome, supporting the possibility that I-Ceu-I does digest the chromosome at the site of the 23S rRNA gene. Further experiments are necessary to definitively conclude that the 16S and 23S rRNA genes are not located together on the chromosome of this organism.