Thermal melting curves of tRNAPhe from yeast lacking different numbers of nucleotides from the 3'-end

The thermal melting curves of tRNAPhe and tRNALys from yeast lacking different numbers of nucleotides from the 3'-end were recorded. The removal of the first nucleotide had no effect on the melting profile. The stepwise removal of the following six nucleotides caused changes in the character of the derivative melting curves: they became rather broad and melting started at lower temperatures. These results indicate that the nucleotides at the 3'-end contribute to the stability of the molecular structure of tRNAs.