Unique sequence arrangement of ribosomal genes in the palindromic rDNA molecule of Physarum polycephalum

R-loop and restriction mapping procedures reveal the organization of coding regions at each end of the giant rDNA palindrome of Physarum polycephalum. A 19S coding region of 2.10 +/- 0.21 kb is located at each end of a very long central spacer (35.64 +/- 2.08 kb). An internal spacer of 1.66 +/- 0.12 kb lies distal to the 19S gene. The 5.8S rRNA coding region is located in this spacer. The 26S gene lies distal to the internal spacer. The 26S gene is unusual among those of eukaryotes in that it consists of 3 coding regions (alpha, beta and gamma) interrupted by 2 intervening sequences. The 26S alpha (most central) coding segment of 2.41 +/- 0.33 kb is separated from the 26S beta segment by an intervening sequence of 0.68 +/- 0.13 kb. The 26S beta segment (0.70 +/- 0.11 kb) is separated from the most distal 26S gamma segment (0.59 +/- 0.14 kb) by an intervening sequence of 1.21 +/- 0.14 kb. The 2 intervening sequences are present in at least 88% of ribsomal genes from active plasmodia, indicating that genes containing these sequences are transcribed. The rDNA termini contain a heterogeneous region which varies in length by +/- 300 base pairs.