Subrepeats of rDNA intergenic spacer present as prominent independent satellite DNA in Vigna radiata but not in Vigna angularis

Abstract

Subrepeats located in the rDNA intergenic spacer are also present as independently occurring, tandemly arranged satellite DNA clusters in the genome of Vigna radiata (mung bean). These 174-bp satellite repeats are identified as non-rDNA repeats by the presence of an AluI site. In the closely related Vigna angularis (adzuki bean), 174-bp repeats characterized by an AluI site occur in the rDNA with high sequence homology to the V. radiata rDNA subrepeats. A part of the 174-bp element that shows high similarity to a Xenopus terminator box (T2/T3) is slightly modified in V. angularis. However, a characteristic stem-loop structure can be formed, as in the case of V. radiata. Two highly conserved 12-bp regions occur within the 174-bp rDNA repeats of the two plants investigated. One of these 12-bp stretches exhibits some sequence identity to an element repeated twice in the 325-bp repeats in the intergenic spacer region of Vicia faba (broad bean).