FIG 3.

Novel small RNA candidates predicted computationally and confirmed by Northern blotting. Spr1 to Spr4 are predicted by SIPHT, and Qpr1 to Qpr6 are predicted by QRNA. The middle arrows show where the Northern probes bind. The arrows on the sides are the annotated flanking protein-encoding regions. The size of the RNAs was estimated by comparison to a phiX174/HinfI ladder. The 5′ and 3′ ends were predicted computationally (SIPHT or QRNA). The phylogenetic distribution shows the species for which homologous small RNAs were found: 1, Deinococcus gobiensis; 2, Deinococcus proteolyticus; 3, Deinococcus deserti; 4, Deinococcus peraridilitoris; 5, Deinococcus geothermalis; 6, Deinococcus maricopensis; 7, Deinococcus swuensis.