The trans-spliced intron 1 in the psaA gene of the Chlamydomonas chloroplast: a comparative analysis

In the secondary structure model that has been proposed for the trans-spliced intron 1 in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii psaA gene, a third RNA species (tscA RNA) interacts with the 5' and 3' intron parts flanking the exons to reconstitute a composite structure with several features of group-II introns. To test the validity of this model, we undertook the sequencing and modelling of equivalent introns in the psaA gene from other unicellular green algae belonging to the highly diversified genus Chlamydomonas. Our comparative analysis supports the model reported for the C. reinhardtii psaA intron 1, and also indicates that the 5' end of the tscA RNA and the region downstream from the psaA exon 1 cannot be folded into a structure typical of domain I as described for most group-II introns. It is possible that a fourth RNA species, yet to be discovered, provides the parts of domain I which are apparently missing.