Nucleotide sequences of three poriferan 5 S ribosomal RNAs

We have determined the nucleotide sequences of 5 S ribosomal RNAs isolated from the sponges Halichondria panicea, Hymeniacidon sanguinea, and Haliclona oculata. The structures can be fitted in a universal five-helix secondary structure model (De Wachter, Chen and Vandenberghe (1982) Biochimie 64, 311-329) applicable to all 5 S RNAs hitherto sequenced. The base pairing scheme proves to be extremely conserved throughout the metazoan kingdom, yet four slightly different variants of the model may be distinguished among the 5 S RNAs from the seven animal phyla investigated until now.