Characterization of internal structure of the nucleolar organizing region in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The genomic sequence of the nucleolar organizing region (NOR) in rice has not been characterized fully because of the difficulty in assembling repetitive sequences in silico. Here, we used a cytogenetic approach to elucidate the internal structure of the NOR. We detected one locus of the 18S rRNA genes on 'Nipponbare' chromosome. High-resolution fiber-fluorescence in situ hybridization made it possible to visualize each rRNA gene unit in the array of rRNA genes. Signals of pairs of alternating 18S and 25S rRNA genes were detected uniformly along the DNA fiber. Intergenic spacers were shorter than the transcribed region. The rRNA genes were infrequently interrupted. These and previous results based on the sequencing of genome fragments, PCR analysis and Southern blot hybridization suggest that the internal region of the NOR is filled with a uniform array of canonical rRNA genes separated by spacers carrying three 254-bp sub-repeats.