Complete nucleotide sequence of a 16S ribosomal RNA gene from Escherichia coli.

Abstract
The complete nucleotide sequence of the 16S RNA gene from the rrnB cistron of E. coli was determined by using 3 rapid DNA sequencing methods. Nearly all of the structure was confirmed by 2-6 independent sequence determinations on both DNA strands. The length of the 16S rRNA chain inferred from the DNA sequence is 1541 nucleotides, in close agreement with previous estimates. Discrepancies between this sequence and the most recent version of it reported from direct RNA sequencing are noted. A few of these may be explained by heterogeneity among 16S rRNA sequences from different cistrons. No nucleotide sequences were found in the 16S rRNA gene that cannot be reconciled with RNase digestion products of mature 16S rRNA.