Studies on the poky mutant of eurospora crassa. Fingerprint analysis of mitochondrial ribosomal RNA.

Base sequence and methylation of mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs from wild type and poky strains of Neurospora crassa were compared to determine whether a mutational lesion exists in poky 19 S RNA. At the outset, new procedures were developed for the isolation of intact nucleic acids from Neurospora mitochondria based on the substitution of Ca2+ for Mg2+ in the isolation media to inhibit mitochondrial nuclease activity. Using these procedures, intact and highly purified 32P-labeled ribosomal RNAs were extracted from purified mitochondrial ribosomal subunits of wild type and poky and compared using three complementary fingerprinting systems: two-dimensional electrophoresis of T1 plus phosphatase digests and homochromatography of T1 and pancreatic RNase digests. In supplementary experiments, 32P-labeled wild type RNA was co-fingerprinted with 32P-labeled poky and ratios of 32P/33P radioactivity were determined in each fragment to detect possible differences in stoichiometry. In addition, levels and patterns of methylated nucleotides were compared using procedures based on in vivo labeling with [methyl-3H]methionine and [32P]orthophosphate. In all these experiments, no difference was detected between wild type and poky in base sequence or methylation of either 19 S or 25 S RNA. Levels of methylation of Neurospora mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs were extremely low (less than 0.1% of the nucleotides), and results based on fingerprint analysis and DEAE-cellulose chromatography of alkaline hydrolysates of the [3H]methyl-labeled RNA suggested that 25 S RNA contains two ribose methylations, while 19 S RNA contains no methylated nucleotides.