COMPLETE 23S RIBOSOMAL-RNA SEQUENCES OF GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA WITH A LOW DNA G+C CONTENT

The complete 23S rRNA primary structures of 14 gram-positive bacteria with a low DNA G+C content were determined. The sequences were compared with 50 published as well as unpublished complete 23S rRNA sequences from bacteria. Based on previously published models, higher order structure analyses were performed and a consensus higher order structure model of the 23S rRNA from gram-positive bacteria with a low DNA G+C content was established. A tree reflecting the phylogenetic relationships among gram-positive bacteria with a low DNA G+C content was reconstructed and compared with a phylogenetic tree based on a comparable data set of 16S rRNA sequences. The topologies of the trees are in good agreement.