Comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequences of plant 5S rRNA gene
s shows numerous discrepancies with the mature 5S rRNAs. Detailed insp
ection of these differences revealed that they are mainly due to singl
e nucleotide substitutions, insertions and deletions. In several cases
also longer insertions were found, two of which are particularly inte
resting. Their location in loops resembles tRNA introns. One of these
insertions is 79 nucleotides long and can potentially form a tRNA-like
structure, with 50% homology to plant tRNA(Gly). This observation led
us to propose that, in the maturation of some 5S rDNA transcripts, ed
iting and splicing mechanisms may be involved.