A TRNA(GLU) GENE FROM THE HYPERTHERMOPHILIC ARCHAEON PYROCOCCUS-FURIOSUS CONTAINS THE 3'-TERMINAL CCA SEQUENCE OF THE MATURE TRANSFER-RNA

We cloned a gene encoding tRNA(Glu) of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. This gene contains the CCA sequence corresponding to the 3'-terminus of the mature tRNA. It is known that, like in euka ryal tRNAs, the CCA-termini of archaeal tRNAs are generally not encode d. Therefore, we analyzed all tRNA genes in the genome of Methanococcu s jannaschii estimated by its whole genome sequence. Twenty-one of 37 listed tRNA genes contained the 3'-terminal CCA sequence, The correspo nding M. jannaschii tRNA(Glu) gene does not contain the CCA sequence, although the tRNA sequences of the M. jannaschii and P. furiosus tRNA( Glu) genes are 86% identical. (C) 1998 Federation of European Microbio logical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.