LEISHMANIA-TARENTOLAE MINICIRCLES OF DIFFERENT SEQUENCE CLASSES ENCODE SINGLE GUIDE RNAS LOCATED IN THE VARIABLE REGION APPROXIMATELY 150 BP FROM THE CONSERVED REGION

The complete sequences of three kinetoplast DNA minicircles (B4, D3 and D12) from Leishmania tarentolae are reported. All L. tarentolae minicircles encode single gRNAs localized within the variable region approximately 150 bp from the conserved region. The 5' termini and tentative 3' termini of the new gRNAs were determined and the gene sequences and flanking sequences of all minicircle gRNA genes compared for conserved motifs of possible transcriptional regulatory significance. All minicircle gRNAs possess 3' oligo-[U] tails of variable length similar to maxicircle gRNAs. A role for the D3 minicircle gRNA in the editing of the 5' pan-edited MURF4 mRNA was suggested by sequence analysis, and a role for the D12 minicircle gRNA in the editing of the COIII mRNA and another minicircle gRNA (Lt154) in the editing of the pan-edited G6 mRNA have been previously reported. The cryptogene mRNAs edited by the B4 and Lt19 minicircle gRNAs are yet undetermined.