Trypanosoma cruzi 5S rRNA genes: molecular cloning, structure and chromosomal organization

To further study the ribosomal RNA genetic system in Trypanosoma cruzi, the 5S rRNA gene family was characterized. We found that this gene family is reiterated about 1600 times per diploid nuclei and is mostly organized as a tandem repeat of 481 base pairs. These gene clusters were assigned to two chromosomes of about 1500 and 1400 kilobase pairs. We found that the 5S rRNA-coding region is comprised of 120 nucleotides, and contains the well-known internal control regions of eukaryotic RNA polymerase III. The two gene-spacer regions analysed exhibit a putative signal for transcription termination and six sites homologous to the consensus sequence for the binding of transcription factor Sp1.