Ribosomal RNA - rRNA - Two-thirds of the mass of the ribosome is RNA. There are three types of ribosomal RNAs, 5S RNA, 16S RNA and 23S RNA. The 5S RNA of E. coli has 120 nucleotides, and its total sequence is known. A comparison with corresponding molecules of other organisms indicates that the sequence bas been strongly conserved throughout evolution. 16S RNA is about 1,600 nucleotides long. Its primary structure is now almost fully established. It consists of a single strand folded upon it self to form double-stranded hairpin loops.
About 30-35% of the bases, occur in the single-stranded loops. 16S RNA oligonucleotide sequences from different bacteria show considerable homogeneity, indicating conservation. 23S RNA contains about 3,200 nucleotides.
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