Use of RNA secondary structure for studying the evolution of RNase P and RNase MRP.

摘要: Secondary structure is evaluated for determining evolutionary relationships between catalytic RNA molecules that are so distantly related they scarcely alignable. The ribonucleoproteins RNase P (P) and MRP (MRP) have been suggested to be evolutionarily because of similarities in both function secondary structure. However, their sequences cannot aligned with any confidence, this leads uncertainty trees inferred from sequences. We report several approaches using structures inferring emphasize quantitative tests demonstrate information can recovered. For MRP, three hypotheses the relatedness considered. first derived early eukaryotes. next an endosymbiont. third evolved RNA-world (and need has since lost prokaryotes). Quantitative comparisons pRNA mrpRNA found possibility organellar origin unlikely. In addition, comparison support identity P–like sequence maize chloroplast genome. Overall, it concluded useful evaluating relatedness, even confidence.