Functional interaction between bases C1049 in domain II and G2751 in domain VI of 23S rRNA in Escherichia coli ribosomes

The factor-binding center within the Escherichia coli ribosome is comprised of two discrete domains of 23S rRNA: the GTPase-associated region (GAR) in domain II and the sarcin–ricin loop in domain VI. These two regions appear to collaborate in the factor-dependent events that occur during protein synthesis. Current X-ray crystallography of the ribosome shows an interaction between C1049 in the GAR and G2751 in domain VI. We have confirmed this interaction by site-directed mutagenesis and chemical probing. Disruption of this base pair affected not only the chemical modification of some bases in domains II and VI and in helix H89 of domain V, but also ribosome function dependent on both EF-G and EF-Tu. Mutant ribosomes carrying the C1049 to G substitution, which show enhancement of chemical modification at G2751, were used to probe the interactions between the regions around 1049 and 2751. Binding of EF-G-GDP-fusidic acid, but not EF-G-GMP-PNP, to the ribosome protected G2751 from modification. The G2751 protection was also observed after tRNA binding to the ribosomal P and E sites. The results suggest that the interactions between the bases around 1049 and 2751 alter during different stages of the translation process

Protein folding on the ribosome studied using NMR spectroscopy

NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the investigation of protein folding and misfolding, providing a characterization of molecular structure, dynamics and exchange processes, across a very wide range of timescales and with near atomic resolution. In recent years NMR methods have also been developed to study protein folding as it might occur within the cell, in a de novo manner, by observing the folding of nascent polypeptides in the process of emerging from the ribosome during synthesis. Despite the 2.3 MDa molecular weight of the bacterial 70S ribosome, many nascent polypeptides, and some ribosomal proteins, have sufficient local flexibility that sharp resonances may be observed in solution-state NMR spectra. In providing information on dynamic regions of the structure, NMR spectroscopy is therefore highly complementary to alternative methods such as X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, which have successfully characterized the rigid core of the ribosome particle. However, the low working concentrations and limited sample stability associated with ribosome-nascent chain complexes means that such studies still present significant technical challenges to the NMR spectroscopist. This review will discuss the progress that has been made in this area, surveying all NMR studies that have been published to date, and with a particular focus on strategies for improving experimental sensitivity

Stability of the ‘L12 stalk’ in ribosomes from mesophilic and (hyper)thermophilic Archaea and Bacteria

The ribosomal stalk complex, consisting of one molecule of L10 and four or six molecules of L12, is attached to 23S rRNA via protein L10. This complex forms the so-called ‘L12 stalk’ on the 50S ribosomal subunit. Ribosomal protein L11 binds to the same region of 23S rRNA and is located at the base of the ‘L12 stalk’. The ‘L12 stalk’ plays a key role in the interaction of the ribosome with translation factors. In this study stalk complexes from mesophilic and (hyper)thermophilic species of the archaeal genus Methanococcus and from the Archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus, as well as from the Bacteria Escherichia coli, Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Thermus thermophilus, were overproduced in E.coli and purified under non-denaturing conditions. Using filter-binding assays the affinities of the archaeal and bacterial complexes to their specific 23S rRNA target site were analyzed at different pH, ionic strength and temperature. Affinities of both archaeal and bacterial complexes for 23S rRNA vary by more than two orders of magnitude, correlating very well with the growth temperatures of the organisms. A cooperative effect of binding to 23S rRNA of protein L11 and the L10/L12(4) complex from mesophilic and thermophilic Archaea was shown to be temperature-dependent