Fig 3.

Secondary structure of the 16S rRNA molecule in the genus Lactobacillus. The degree of conservation in the molecule as determined by analysis of 608 sequences is superimposed on the structure of the Lactobacillus acidophilus 16S molecule. Conservation of each nucleotide across the 608 analyzed Lactobacillus species is indicated as follows: uppercase letters (>98% conservation), lowercase letters (90 to 98% conservation), closed circles (80 to 90% conservation), or open circles (<80% conservation). Canonical nucleotide pairs (G-C or A-U) are represented by dashes, wobble nucleotide pairs (G-U) are represented by small closed circles, A-G nucleotide pairs are represented by large open circles, and all other pairs are represented by large closed circles.