Drosophila melanogaster tRNA Val3d genes and their allogenes

• Published in: Gene Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 207 - 217
• Main Authors: Leung, Jeffrey, Addison, William R., Delaney, Alien D., MacKay, Ron M., Miller, Robert C., Spiegelman, George B., Grigliatti, Tom A., Tener, Gordon M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 1985
• Subjects: anticodon; bacteriophage λ; chromosome bands; cloning; nucleotide sequences; plasmid construction; pseudogenes; Recombinant DNA; Southern cross hybridization; transcription; anticodon; SDS; transcription; tRNA; pseudogenes; Recombinant DNA; bp; chromosome bands; Southern cross hybridization; bacteriophage λ; S; nucleotide sequences; kb; plasmid construction; cloning
• ISSN: 0378-1119; 1879-0038
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-1119(85)90129-5

Drosophila tRNA Val 3d genes have been analyzed with respect to their nucleotide sequence and in vitro transcription efficiency. Plasmid pDt78R contains a single tRNA gene derived from the major tRNA Val 3d gene cluster at chromosome band 84D. Its sequence corresponds to that of the tRNA Val 3d. Two other plasmids, pDt41R and pDt48, each contain a tRNA Val 3d-like gene from the minor tRNA Val 3d gene cluster at chromosome bands 90BC. They contain the expected CAC anticodon, but their sequence differs from the tRNA at four positions. In homologous cell-free extracts, the tRNA Val 3d variant genes in pDt41R and pDt48 are transcribed an order of magnitude more efficiently than the tRNA Val 3d gene in pDt78R. However, the variant genes do not appear to contribute significantly to the in vivo tRNA pool [Larsen et al.: Mol. Gen. Genet. 185 (1982) 390–396]. We propose the term allogenes to describe families of related DNA sequences that may code for variant forms of a standard tRNA isoaccepting species.