The 23S rRNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens contains at least two nicks which result in the formation of RNA components with mol.wts. of 0.52 × 106 and 0.48 × 106. Thus under the usual conditions of extraction and analysis, no 23S rRNA was recovered from the bacterium. The experiments show that 23S rRNA is synthesized as a continuous chain, in which one or two nicks are formed almost immediately near the ends of the molecule and an additional nick in the middle at a later time.
