Interaction of bacterial ribosomes with mRNA and tRNA as studied by X-ray crystallographic analysis

摘要: Protein synthesis, i. e. the translation of genetic information encoded in messenger RNA into a polypeptide chain, is carried out by ribosomes. These giant ribonucleoprotein assemblies, particle weights about 2.5 MDa bacteria and up to 4 higher organisms, are composed many different proteins (about 55 bacteria) long chains (comprising 4600 nucleotides bacteria). Although ribosome its basic functions were discovered more than 50 years ago, large size highly dynamic nature this supramolecular assembly have made it difficult obtain useful crystals. However, recent advances crystallization X-ray crystallography led great progress structural studies ribosome. Over last decade, structures small (30S) (50S) subunits as well entire (70S) bacterial archaeal ribosomes vastly increased our understanding workings macromolecular machine.