Drosophila P-element transcripts are incorrectly processed in tobacco.

A gene encoding the Drosophila P-element transposase was expressed in transgenic tobacco plants under transcriptional control of the Drosophila HSP70 promoter. Polyadenylated transcripts were produced, but the major transcript was about 1 kb shorter than expected and the two introns were not removed. The 3' end of the most abundant transcript occurred within the transposase coding sequence downstream of the acceptor site of the second intron within a region of high A+T content. These results provide an additional example in which RNA processing enzymes of plants utilize different mRNA processing signals than animals.