title: Structural insights into the role of rRNA modifications in protein synthesis and ribosome assembly.
abstract: We report crystal structures of the Thermus thermophilus ribosome at 2.3- to 2.5-Å resolution, which have enabled modeling of rRNA modifications. The structures reveal contacts of modified nucleotides with mRNA and tRNAs or protein pY, and contacts within the ribosome interior stabilizing the functional fold of rRNA. Our work provides a resource to explore the roles of rRNA modifications and yields a more comprehensive atomic model of a bacterial ribosome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Yury S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Polikanov
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Sergey V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Melnikov
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Söll
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Steitz
mesh_terms: D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D008958:Models, Molecular; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D016963:Thermus thermophilus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012343:RNA, Transfer