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Abstract
Most, if not all, trypanosome mRNAs have the same 35-base sequence at their 5′ terminus which is derived from a short RNA (medRNA) probably by the process of trans-splicing. It is of interest, evolutionarily and mechanistically, to determine the chemical structure of the 5′ terminus of the precursor (medRNA) and product (mRNA). We demonstrate here that the cap structure of both is most probably 7-methylguanosine in a 5′,5′ triphosphate linkage, consistent with a precursor/product relationship.