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Distribution of 16S rRNA introns among the family Thermoproteaceae and their evolutionary implications

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Abstract

Novel 16S rRNA introns were detected in four new strains within the family Thermoproteaceae. Pyrobaculum oguniense TE7T and Thermoproteus sp. IC-062 housed introns of 32 and 665–668 bp after positions 1205 and 1213 (Escherichia coli numbering system), respectively. Caldivirga maquilingensis IC-167T had two introns of 37 and 140 bp after positions 901 and 908, respectively. Vulcanisaeta distributa IC-065 had a 691-bp intron after position 1391. All the introns larger than 650 bp encoded the LAGLI-DADG type proteins. The intron-encoded proteins of P. oguniense TE7T and Thermoproteus sp. IC-062 are cognate with the proteins encoded by introns inserted at the same position in other Pyrobaculum/Thermoproteus strains and phylotypes. The intron-encoded protein of V. distributa IC-065 is partially related to that of a Pyrobaculum phylotype. A large-scale deletion in the second intron of Caldivirga maquilingensis IC-167T is suspected. Based on these newly found introns and hitherto known 16S rRNA introns, the evolutionary movements of the 16S rRNA introns and the encoded LAGLI-DADG type proteins are discussed.

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Correspondence to Takashi Itoh.

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Communicated by K. Horikoshi

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Itoh, T., Nomura, N. & Sako, Y. Distribution of 16S rRNA introns among the family Thermoproteaceae and their evolutionary implications. Extremophiles 7, 229–233 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-003-0314-y

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