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A primary transcript in spinach chloroplasts that completely lacks a 5′ untranslated leader region

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Abstract

A fifth, previously undetected transcript for the plastid gene encoding the β subunit of spinach chloroplast ATPase (atpB) has recently been identified in vitro. In this report we show that this transcript is present in vivo and its 5′ end is at the translation start codon. When synthesized in vitro using spinach chloroplast RNA polymerase, the 5′ end of this novel transcript is located at the beginning of the second codon of the atpB coding sequence. Although this atpB transcript lacks an untranslated leader region, it is an abundant RNA in vivo and is associated with crude polysomal fractions, as are the four larger atpB transcripts. In vitro synthesis of the leaderless transcript does not occur for a plasmid DNA in which the ‘−35’ region of the promoter is deleted.

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Author notes

  1. D. Clark Bennett

    Present address: Sigma Chemical Company, P.O. Box 14508, 63178, St. Louis, MO, USA

  2. Liang-Jwu Chen

    Present address: Agricultural Biotechnology Laboratories, National Chung-Hsing University, 40227, Taichang, Taiwan

  3. Emil M. Orozco Jr.

    Present address: DeKalb. Pfizer Genetics, Pfizer Central Research, Eastern Point Road, 06340, Groton, CT, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Research Service,U.S.D.A., 1102 South Goodwin Avenue, 61801, Urbana, IL, USA

    D. Clark Bennett & Emil M. Orozco Jr.

  2. Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, 61801, Urbana, IL, USA

    Sharon A. Rogers

  3. Department of Agronomy, University of Illinois, 61801, Urbana, IL, USA

    Liang-Jwu Chen

Authors
  1. D. Clark Bennett
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  2. Sharon A. Rogers
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  3. Liang-Jwu Chen
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  4. Emil M. Orozco Jr.
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Bennett, D.C., Rogers, S.A., Chen, LJ. et al. A primary transcript in spinach chloroplasts that completely lacks a 5′ untranslated leader region. Plant Mol Biol 15, 111–119 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00017728

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00017728

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