Mutations in RNAs of both ribosomal subunits cause defects in translation termination.

Mutations in RNAs of both subunits of the Escherichia coli ribosome caused defects in catalysis of peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis in a realistic in vitro termination system. Assaying the two codon-dependent cytoplasmic proteins that drive termination, RF1 and RF2, we observed large defects with RF2 but not with RF1, a result consistent with the in vivo properties of the mutants. Our study presents the first direct in vitro evidence demonstrating the involvement of RNAs from both the large and the small ribosomal subunits in catalysis of peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis during termination of protein biosynthesis. The results and conclusions are of general significance since the rRNA nucleotides studied have been virtually universally conserved throughout evolution. Our findings suggest a novel role for rRNAs of both subunits as molecular transmitters of a signal for termination

Fast recycling of Escherichia coli ribosomes requires both ribosome recycling factor (RRF) and release factor RF3.

A complete translation system has been assembled from pure initiation, elongation and termination factors as well as pure aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. In this system, ribosomes perform repeated rounds of translation of short synthetic mRNAs which allows the time per translational round (the recycling time) to be measured. The system has been used to study the influence of release factor RF3 and of ribosome recycling factor RRF on the rate of recycling of ribosomes. In the absence of both RF3 and RRF, the recycling time is approximately 40 s. This time is reduced to approximately 30 s by the addition of RF3 alone and to approximately 15 s by the addition of RRF alone. When both RF3 and RRF are added to the translation system, the recycling time drops to <6 s. Release factor RF3 is seen to promote RF1 cycling between different ribosomes. The action of RRF is shown to depend on the concentration of elongation factor-G. Even in the presence of RRF, ribosomes do not leave the mRNA after termination, but translate the same mRNA several times. This shows that RRF does not actively eject mRNA from the terminating ribosome. It is proposed that terminating ribosomes become mobile on mRNA and ready to enter the next translation round only after two distinct steps, catalysed consecutively by RF3 and RRF, which are slow in the absence of these factors

Complementary roles of initiation factor 1 and ribosome recycling factor in 70S ribosome splitting

We demonstrate that ribosomes containing a messenger RNA (mRNA) with a strong Shine–Dalgarno sequence are rapidly split into subunits by initiation factors 1 (IF1) and 3 (IF3), but slowly split by ribosome recycling factor (RRF) and elongation factor G (EF-G). Post-termination-like (PTL) ribosomes containing mRNA and a P-site-bound deacylated transfer RNA (tRNA) are split very rapidly by RRF and EF-G, but extremely slowly by IF1 and IF3. Vacant ribosomes are split by RRF/EF-G much more slowly than PTL ribosomes and by IF1/IF3 much more slowly than mRNA-containing ribosomes. These observations reveal complementary splitting of different ribosomal complexes by IF1/IF3 and RRF/EF-G, and suggest the existence of two major pathways for ribosome splitting into subunits in the living cell. We show that the identity of the deacylated tRNA in the PTL ribosome strongly affects the rate by which it is split by RRF/EF-G and that IF3 is involved in the mechanism of ribosome splitting by IF1/IF3 but not by RRF/EF-G. With support from our experimental data, we discuss the principally different mechanisms of ribosome splitting by IF1/IF3 and by RRF/EF-G

Accommodating the bacterial decoding release factor as an alien protein among the RNAs at the active site of the ribosome

The decoding release factor (RF) triggers termination of protein synthesis by functionally mimicking a tRNA to span the decoding centre and the peptidyl transferase centre (PTC) of the ribosome. Structurally, it must fit into a site crafted for a tRNA and surrounded by five other RNAs, namely the adjacent peptidyl tRNA carrying the completed polypeptide, the mRNA and the three rRNAs. This is achieved by extending a structural domain from the body of the protein that results in a critical conformational change allowing it to contact the PTC. A structural model of the bacterial termination complex with the accommodated RF shows that it makes close contact with the first, second and third bases of the stop codon in the mRNA with two separate loops of structure: the anticodon loop and the loop at the tip of helix alpha5. The anticodon loop also makes contact with the base following the stop codon that is known to strongly influence termination efficiency. It confirms the close contact of domain 3 of the protein with the key RNA structures of the PTC. The mRNA signal for termination includes sequences upstream as well as downstream of the stop codon, and this may reflect structural restrictions for specific combinations of tRNA and RF to be bound onto the ribosome together. An unbiased SELEX approach has been investigated as a tool to identify potential rRNA-binding contacts of the bacterial RF in its different binding conformations within the active centre of the ribosome