RNA-DNA hybridization analyses of tRNA-Val-3b in Drosophila melanogaster

Transfer RNA was extracted from 50-300 mg of adult flies and specifically labeled in vitro. The level of individual isoacceptors was quantitated by efficient annealing to Drosophila tRNA genes carried on recombinant DNA plasmids immobilized on nitrocellulose filters. The level of tRNAVal3b in the tRNA isolated from flies deficient in the major tRNAVal3b loci has been examined. The results show that deletion of the major tRNAVal3b loci resulted in a reduction of approximately 50% in the level of tRNAVal3b but did not produce the Minute phenotype; furthermore the effects of deficiencies at two loci were approximately additive.