Ribosome Evolution: The Structural Bases of Protein Synthesis in Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, and Eukaryotes

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the detailed structural and biochemical information available for the E. coli ribosome, and use it as a basis for interpreting the less specific structural and biochemical information available for archaebacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes. The chapter presents a unified view of the structural bases of protein synthesis and of the evolution of the ribosome. The chapter discusses functional sites, such as the structure of Escherichia coli ribosome. In using ribosome structure to study the evolutionary relationships between eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes, one is faced with an apparent gulf between the very different prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosome structures. Using these three-dimensional structures, preliminary locations of a majority of the ribosomal proteins have been mapped. Their locations provide insights into the functioning of the ribosome that are described. Ribosomal proteins have also been extensively mapped. While their experimental results are quite similar to ours, their three dimensional locations were initially interpreted using their symmetric model. In those cases where they have reinterpreted their 50 S protein locations using the asymmetric model (L1 and L7/L12), their 50 S mappings match ours and are included. Small subunit proteins mapped by neutron diffraction are also included.