Cleavage reaction of a synthetic oligoribonucleotide corresponding to the autocleavage site of a precursor RNA from bacteriophage T4

Abstract
A fragment (GUUUCGUACAAAC) having a consensus sequence for the self-cleavage domain in a precursor of an RNA molecule from T4-infected Escherichia coli cells (p2Sp1; precursor of species 1) was chemically synthesized and found to be cleaved either between CA (139–140) or between UA (137–138) in the presence of monovalent cations and a non-ionic detergent. The cleaved products had 5′-hydroxyl and 3′-phosphate groups, of which some were in the form 2′.3′-cyclic phosphates