COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS OF 5.8 S RIBOSOMAL-RNA FROM EPHEDRA-KOKANICA REGL (GYMNOSPERMAE) AND OTHER PLANT-SPECIES

5.8 S rRNA from the gymnosperm Ephedra kokanica Regl. (EMBL Data Library accesion No. X15676) has been sequenced. It is 161 nucleotides long and contains three 2′-O-methylated residues - two adenosines and one guanosine. No pseudouridine have been detected. E. kokanica 5.8 S rRNA, as those from other plant species, can form a secondary structure with paired 5′- and 3′-terminal regions. 5.8 S rRNAs of seed plants differ from the moss Mnium rugicum 5.8 S rRNA in that they have longer variable 'GC-rich' hairpins with insertions in the loop region. 5.8 S rRNA of E. kokanica reveals 69 and 82% of homology with that of moss and five angiosperm species, respectively. The posttranscriptional modification pattern of plant 5.8 S rRNAs is not strictly conservative. © 1990.