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Structure and expression of the overlapping ND4L and ND5 genes of Neurospora crassa mitochondria

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Summary

Genes homologous to the mammalian mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit genes ND4L and ND5 were identified in the mitochondrial genome of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, and the structure and expression of these genes was examined. The ND4L gene (interrupted by one intervening sequence) potentially encodes an 89 residue long hydrophobic protein that shares about 26% homology (or 41% homology if conservative amino acid substitutions are allowed) with the analogous human mitochondrial protein. The ND5 gene (which contains two introns) encodes a 715 residue polypeptide that shares 23% homology with the human analogue; a 300 amino acid long region is highly conserved (50% homology) in the two ND5 proteins. The stop codon of the ND4L gene overlaps the initiation codon of the downstream ND5 gene, and the two genes are contranscribed and probably cotranslated. A presumed mature dicistronic (ND4L plus ND5) RNA was detected. The postulated mRNA (about 3.2 kb) contains 5′ and 3′ non-coding regions of about 86 and 730 nucleotides, respectively; this species is generated from very large precursor RNAs by a complex processing pathway. The ND4L and ND5 introns are all stable after their excision from the precursor species.

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Abbreviations

bp:

base pairs

rRNA:

ribosomal RNA

ND:

NADH dehydrogenase

URF:

unidentified reading frame

kDal:

kilodaltons; a.a., amino acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Istituto di Fisiologia Generale, Universita di Roma, La Sapienza, I-00185, Rome, Italy

    Mary Anne Nelson

  2. Dipartimento Biopatologia Umana, Sezione di Biologia Cellulare, Universita di Roma, La Sapienza, Policlinico Umberto I, I-00161, Rome, Italy

    Giuseppe Macino

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  1. Mary Anne Nelson
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  2. Giuseppe Macino
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Communicated by R. J. Herrmann

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Nelson, M.A., Macino, G. Structure and expression of the overlapping ND4L and ND5 genes of Neurospora crassa mitochondria. Mol Gen Genet 206, 307–317 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00333589

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00333589

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