NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF NUCLEAR TRNA(GLY) GENES AND TRNA(GLY) PSEUDOGENES FROM YELLOW LUPIN (LUPINUS-LUTEUS) - EXPRESSION OF THE TRNA(GLY) GENES IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO

A nuclear DNA fragment (7.8 kb) from yellow lupin (L. luteus) was sequ enced and shown to contain tRNA(Gly)(GGC) genes and tRNA(Gly)(GGC) pse udogenes organized in three tandemly repeated units: of 2565 bp and 25 64 bp, and one, truncated from its 3' end, of 1212 bp. Each unit conta ins an identical pair of a tRNA(Gly) gene and a pseudogene, both havin g the same polarity. The nucleotide sequence of the gene appears colin ear to L. luteus cytoplasmic tRNA(Gly)(GGC) primary structure. All thr ee genes are efficiently transcribed in HeLa-cell nuclear extract givi ng two primary transcripts. The main, longer primary transcripts have each an extremely long 3' trailer of about 100 nucleotides, the struct ure of which is specific only for tRNA(Gly) genes and pseudogenes (80% homology) of the studied tandem (but not for other tRNA(Gly) genes of the yellow lupin genome) as it has been shown by Southern hybridizati on. This distinctive feature allowed to isolate putative tRNA(Gly) pre cursor(s) encoded by at least one of the three tRNA(Gly)(GGC) genes fr om L. luteus seedlings.