Identification of a structural motif of 23S rRNA interacting with 5S rRNA

To identify RNA motifs interacting with 5S rRNA, a systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment experiment was applied. Some of the resul ting RNA aptamers contained a consensus sequence similar to the sequence in the loop region of helix 89 of 23S rRNA. We show that the synthetic helix 89 RNA motif indeed interacted with 5S rRNA and that the region around loop B of 5S rRNA was involved in this interaction. These results suggest the p resence of a novel RNA-RNA interaction between 23S rRNA and 5S rRNA which m ay play an important role in the ribosome function. (C) 2001 Published by E lsevier Science B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical So cieties.