ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Gene expression analysis is an important tool in contemporary research, with real-time PCR as the method of choice for quantifying transcription levels. Co-analysis of suitable reference genes is crucial for accurate expression normalisation. Reference gene expression may vary, e.g., among species or tissues; thus, candidate genes must be tested prior to use in expression ...

One of the proteins identified as being involved in ribosome biogenesis by high-throughput studies, a putative P-loop-type kinase termed Fap7 (YDL166c), was shown to be required for the conversion of 20S pre-rRNA to 18S rRNA. However, the mechanism underlying this function has remained unclear. Here we demonstrate that Fap7 is strictly required for cleavage of the 20S pre-rRNA at site D in the ...

Our knowledge of the functions of metazoan ribosomal proteins in ribosome synthesis remains fragmentary. Using siRNAs, we show that knockdown of 31 of the 32 ribosomal proteins of the human 40S subunit (ribosomal protein of the small subunit [RPS]) strongly affects pre-ribosomal RNA (rRNA) processing, which often correlates with nucleolar chromatin disorganization. 16 RPSs are strictly required...

Microbial ecologists have used direct RT-PCR amplification of 16S rRNA molecules for the detection of active species of bacteria and archaea, and 18S rRNA molecules for the detection of active fungi. The drawback to this approach for fungi is that 18S rRNA sequences often do not provide sufficient taxonomic resolution to allow identification of taxa in mixed communities to genus or species leve...

The rice planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens, Sogatella furcifera, and Laodelphax striatellus, harbor intracellular yeast-like symbiotes (YLS) in the fat body. The YLS are obligated endosymbiotes and are transovarially inherited. Nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA genes from the YLS were analyzed by direct sequencing. The YLS of the three species of planthoppers were monophyletic and their taxon...

Microbial eukaryotes fulfill key ecological positions in marine food webs. Molecular approaches that connect protistan diversity and biogeography to their diverse metabolisms will greatly improve our understanding of marine ecosystem function. The majority of molecular-based studies to date use 18S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize natural microbial assemblages, but this approach does not ne...

The genes encoding 18S, 5.8S, and 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) are tandemly repeated at the nucleolus organizer region (NOR). The NORs in the chicken map to one pair of microchromosomes. A line of chickens that contains individuals that are either disomic, trisomic, or tetrasomic for this chromosome, and have two, three, or four nucleoli and NORs, per cell, respectively, has been described previous...

rRNA genes are attractive targets for developing PCR assays targeting human fungal pathogens. Most studies have focused on the 18S rRNA gene, internal transcribed spacers, and the 5' end of the 28S rRNA gene. An approximately 2,900-bp region of the 28S rRNA gene remains largely unexplored because sequences of many medically relevant fungi are either unavailable or undefined in genomic databases...

The poly-A specific ribonuclease (PARN), initially characterized for its role in mRNA catabolism, supports the processing of different types of non-coding RNAs including telomerase RNA. Mutations in PARN are linked to dyskeratosis congenita and pulmonary fibrosis. Here, we show that PARN is part of the enzymatic machinery that matures the human 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Consistent with its nucl...

Abstract The morphological and molecular characterisations of two lance nematode species isolated from the rhizosphere banana, Hoplolaimus seinhorsti H. pararobustus , are provided based on an integrative study that includes light scanning electron microscopy, phylogenetic analysis tree-based delimitation methods (GMYC bPTP). Nineteen new sequences were obtained, including 5 partial 18S rRNA, 6...