Adaptive role of increased frequency of polypurine tracts in mRNA sequences of thermophilic prokaryotes.

ABSTRACT: The mechanism of an organism's adaptation to high temperatures has been investigated intensively in recent years. It was suggested that the macromolecules of thermophilic microorganisms (especially proteins) have structural features that enhance their thermostability. We compared mRNA sequences of 72 fully sequenced prokaryotic proteomes (14 thermophilic and 58 mesophilic species). Although the differences between the percentage of adenine plus guanine content of whole mRNAs of different prokaryotic species are much lower than those of guanine plus cytosine content, the thermophile purine-pyrimidine (R/Y) ratio within their mRNAs is significantly higher than that of the mesophiles. The first and third codon positions of both thermophiles and mesophiles are purine-biased, with the bias more

SUBMITTER: Paz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC365726 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature