Wheat mitochondrial DNA encodes a eubacteria-like initiator methionine transfer RNA

AbstractAn initiator methionine transfer RNA (tRNAfMet) gene has been identified by sequence analysis of a cloned SalI restriction fragment of wheat mitochondrial DNA. The 3′-end of this gene, which does not encode the CCA terminus of the mature tRNA, is separated by only one basepair from the 5′-end of the 18 S ribosomal RNA gene, suggesting that the two genes are part of the same transcriptional unit. The wheat mitochondrial tRNAfMet sequence, the first from plant mitochondria, displays strong structural affinity with eubacterial/chloroplast tRNAfMet sequences