Two new back-to-back articles in PNAS describe atomic models of eukaryotic ribosomes, based on a cryo-EM reconstruction of a translating plant (Triticum aestivum) 80S ribosome at 5.5-Å resolution, together with a 6.1-Å map of a translating Saccharomyces cerevisiae 80S ribosome. MDFF was employed to refine the atomic models, in particular an interactive version that leverages the IMD interface in VMD.
Cryo-EM structure and rRNA model of a translating eukaryotic 80S ribosome at 5.5-Å resolution.
Jean-Paul Armache, Alexander Jarasch, Andreas M. Anger, Elizabeth Villa, Thomas Becker, Shashi Bhushan, Fabrice Jossinet, Michael Habeck, Gülcin Dindar, Sibylle Franckenberg, Viter Marquez, Thorsten Mielke, Michael Thomm, Otto Berninghausen, Birgitta Beatrix, Johannes Söding, Eric Westhof, Daniel N. Wilson, and Roland Beckmann Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 107, 19748-19753, 2011.
Protein biosynthesis, the translation of the genetic code into polypeptides, occurs on ribonucleoprotein particles called ribosomes. Although X-ray structures of bacterial ribosomes are available, high-resolution structures of eukaryotic 80S ribosomes are lacking. Using cryoelectron microscopy and single-particle reconstruction, we have determined the structure of a translating plant (Triticum aestivum) 80S ribosome at 5.5-Å resolution. This map, together with a 6.1-Å map of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae 80S ribosome, has enabled us to model ∼98% of the rRNA. Accurate assignment of the rRNA expansion segments (ES) and variable regions has revealed unique ES–ES and r-protein–ES interactions, providing insight into the structure and evolution of the eukaryotic ribosome.
Localization of eukaryote-specific ribosomal proteins in a 5.5Å cryo-EM map of the 80S eukaryotic ribosome.
Jean-Paul Armache, Alexander Jarasch, Andreas M. Anger, Elizabeth Villa, Thomas Becker, Shashi Bhushan, Fabrice Jossinet, Michael Habeck, Gülcin Dindar, Sibylle Franckenberg, Viter Marquez, Thorsten Mielke, Michael Thomm, Otto Berninghausen, Birgitta Beatrix, Johannes Södina, Eric Westhof, Daniel N. Wilson, and Roland Beckmann. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 107, 19754-19759, 2011.
Protein synthesis in all living organisms occurs on ribonucleoprotein particles, called ribosomes. Despite the universality of this process, eukaryotic ribosomes are significantly larger in size than their bacterial counterparts due in part to the presence of 80 r proteins rather than 54 in bacteria. Using cryoelectron microscopy reconstructions of a translating plant (Triticum aestivum) 80S ribosome at 5.5-Å resolution, together with a 6.1-Å map of a translating Saccharomyces cerevisiae 80S ribosome, we have localized and modeled 74/80 (92.5%) of the ribosomal proteins, encompassing 12 archaeal/eukaryote-specific small subunit proteins as well as the complete complement of the ribosomal proteins of the eukaryotic large subunit. Near-complete atomic models of the 80S ribosome provide insights into the structure, function, and evolution of the eukaryotic translational apparatus.
