Abstract

The splicing activity of T4 phage td intron RNA has been examined with various Mg^2+ ions such as MgCl₂, MgSO₄and magnesium acetate using various splicing conditions such as different incubation time and temperature. The maximum splicing of td intron RNA occurred at the concentration of 5 mM MgCl₂. Raising the Mg^2+ concentration up to 15 mM appeared to promote P2 delection mutant to overcome the loss of some splicing activity. In both wild type and mutant, a complete hydrolysis of RNA occurred at 30 mM MgCI₂MgSO₄and magnesium acetate exhibited the rate and pattern of RNA splicing identical to MgCI₂. The optimal splicing conditions involve the incubation of RNA with 5 mM MgCI₂ at 58℃ for 15 min. The results suggest that Mg^2+ may play a key role in the catalytic mechanism of td intron RNA.

• Keywords: T4 phage td intron; Mg^2+ ion; RNA splicing