title: Transfer RNA-mediated regulation of ribosome dynamics during protein synthesis.
abstract: Translocation of tRNAs through the ribosome during protein synthesis involves large-scale structural rearrangement of the ribosome and ribosome-bound tRNAs that is accompanied by extensive and dynamic remodeling of tRNA-ribosome interactions. How the rearrangement of individual tRNA-ribosome interactions influences tRNA movement during translocation, however, remains largely unknown. To address this question, we used single-molecule FRET to characterize the dynamics of ribosomal pretranslocation (PRE) complex analogs carrying either wild-type or systematically mutagenized tRNAs. Our data reveal how specific tRNA-ribosome interactions regulate the rate of PRE complex rearrangement into a critical, on-pathway translocation intermediate and how these interactions control the stability of the resulting configuration. Notably, our results suggest that the conformational flexibility of the tRNA molecule has a crucial role in directing the structural dynamics of the PRE complex during translocation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jingyi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fei
authors.forename: Arianne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.forename: Jonathan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bronson
authors.forename: Ruben L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009154:Mutation; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012343:RNA, Transfer