The H/ACA RNAs represent an abundant, evolutionarily conserved and functionally diverse class of non-coding RNAs. Many H/ACA RNAs direct pseudouridylation of rRNAs and snRNAs, while members of the rapidly growing group of 'orphan' H/ACA RNAs participate in pre-rRNA processing, telomere synthesis and probably, in other nuclear processes. The yeast snR30 'orphan' H/ACA snoRNA has long been known ...

The pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens, which is endemic in China and other parts of Asia, is a major pest of rice and causes significant yield loss in this host plant. Very few studies have addressed gene expression in S. inferens. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is currently the most accurate and sensitive method for gene expression analysis. In qRT-PCR, data are normalized using referenc...

Plasmid pBG 35 contains the whole rDNA unit from flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) (Goldsbrough and Cullis, 1981). We cloned four different Eco RI restriction rDNA fragments of pBG 35 in the plasmid vector pBluescript SK+ (pBS). One of the subclones (p2.1) contained the most part of the 5 ́-end of 18S rRNA gene (1581 bp) and was used as a heterologous DNA probe in molecular hybridization experiments...

In Arabidopsis thaliana, ~8 million of the genome's ~130 million basepairs are devoted to two chromosomal loci, NOR2 and NOR4. At these loci, the genes encoding the precursor transcripts of 18S, 5.8S and 25S ribosomal RNA are clustered. These gene clusters are remarkable in many ways. The ~375 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes at each NOR evolve rapidly, yet do so in almost perfect synchrony with one ...

Ribosomes contain one molecule each of 5S, 18S and 28S RNA. In Drosophila melanogaster although the genes for 18S + 28S are physically separated from the 5S RNA genes, the multiplicity of various ribosomal RNA genes is roughly the same. Thus a coordinate synthesis of these three molecules might seem feasible. This problem has been approached by determining the molar ratios of various RNA's in o...

Housekeeping genes are commonly used as endogenous references in quantitative RT-PCR. Ideally these genes are constitutionally expressed by all cell types and do not vary under experimental conditions. Tissues of 9 normal testes and 22 classical pure seminoma were obtained for RNA-extraction. Real-time RT-PCR was used to examine the mRNA-expression of ubiquitin C, beta-actin, GAPDH, 18S ribosom...

Among teleost fishes, Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus Zuiew, 1793) possesses the lowest chromosome number, 2n = 24. To characterize the chromosome constitution and investigate the genome organization of repetitive sequences in M. albus, karyotyping and chromosome mapping were performed with the 18S - 28S rRNA gene, telomeric repeats, microsatellite repeat motifs, and Rex retroelements. The 18...

Cryptosporidium is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite infecting a wide range of hosts. The current study investigated the genetic profile of Cryptosporidium species in calves in Liverpool, England. Fifty-two calve fecal samples were collected from a farm and initially screened by Auramine phenol, modified Ziehl-Neelsen and ELISA. PCR analysis of 18S rRNA gene was carried out for the p...

Kefir has attracted interest in the scientific community due to its beneficial properties, such as: improving digestion, antimicrobial action, hypocholesterolemic, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory effects, control of plasma glucose levels, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antiallergic activity. The comparative characteristics microbiomes kefir grains (KG) obtained from regions their histor...

* Author for correspondence and reprint requests Z. Naturforsch. 64c, 418-420 (2009); received December 15, 2008 Cell suspension culture has rapidly become an alternative source of taxol, an anticancer compound. To investigate the role of DNA methylation in the cultural course of Taxus chinensis cells, analyses of 18S rRNA gene sequences of cultured T chinensis cells and related species were co...