Ribosome Structure And Protein Biosynthesis

Knud Nierhaus, who has studied the ribosome for more than 30 years, has assembled here the combined efforts of several scientific disciplines into a uniform picture of the largest enzyme complex found in living cells, finally resolving many decades-old questions in molecular biology. In so doing he considers virtually all aspects of ribosome structure and function -- from the molecular mechanism of different ribosomal ribozyme activities to their selective inhibition by antibiotics, from assembly of the core particle to the regulation of ribosome component synthesis. The result is a premier resource for anyone with an interest in ribosomal protein synthesis, whether in the context of molecular biology, biotechnology, pharmacology or molecular medicine.

This book is based on an advanced course of lectures on ribosome structure and protein biosynthesis that I offer at the Moscow State University. These lectures have been part of a general course on molecular biology for almost three decades, and they have undergone considerable evolution as knowledge has been pro gressing in this field. The progress continues, and readers should be prepared that some facts, statements, and ideas included in the book may be incomplete or out of-date. In any case, this is primarily a textbook, but not a comprehensive review. It provides a background of knowledge and current ideas in the field and gives ex amples of observations and their interpretations. I understand that some interpre tations and generalizations may be tentative or disputable, but I hope that this will stimulate thinking and discussing better than if I left white spots. The book has a prototype: it is my monograph "Ribosome Structure and Pro tein Biosynthesis" published by the Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Menlo Park, California, in 1986. Here I have basically kept the former order of pre sentation ofthe topics and the subdivision into chapters. The contents ofthe chap ters, however, have been significantly revised and supplemented. The newly writ ten chapters on translational control in prokaryotes (Chapter 16) and eukaryotes (Chapter 17) are added.

The ribosome is a macromolecular machine that synthesizes proteins with a high degree of speed and accuracy. Our present understanding of its structure, function and dynamics is the result of six decades of research. This book collects over 40 articles based on the talks presented at the 2010 Ribosome Meeting, held in Orvieto, Italy, covering all facets of the structure and function of the ribosome. New high-resolution crystal structures of functional ribosome complexes and cryo-EM structures of translating ribosomes are presented, while partial reactions of translation are examined in structural and mechanistic detail, featuring translocation as a most dynamic process. Mechanisms of initiation, both in bacterial and eukaryotic systems, translation termination, and novel details of the functions of the respective factors are described. Structure and interactions of the nascent peptide within, and emerging from, the ribosomal peptide exit tunnel are addressed in several articles. Structural and single-molecule studies reveal a picture of the ribosome exhibiting the energy landscape of a processive Brownian machine. The collection provides up-to-date reviews which will serve as a source of essential information for years to come.

This book is recommended as a 'hitchhiker's guide to the ribosome' for everyone with an interest in translation, RNA-protein structures, and macromolecular structure-function relationships Science >.

This highly illustrated book provides an up-to-date description of the structure and function of the translation system including ribosomes, tRNAs, translation factors, antibiotics and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Research on translation is undergoing rapid changes and is receiving significant attention as evidenced by the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009. The structural research by crystallography and cryo-EM forms part of an interactive framework that involves biochemistry and molecular computation. The book provides a comprehensive overview of translation in light of the structural results. It is a valuable resource for scientists in this and related fields, as well as for students taking courses with a focus on translation. There is no other book in this field currently except the previous edition of this book. The authors have for a long time worked in the field of structure and function of the translation system.Contents: The Basics of TranslationHistorical MilestonesMethods of Studying StructureThe Message ? mRNAThe Adaptor ? tRNAThe Workbench ? RibosomesThe Structure of the RibosomeRibosomal Sites and Ribosomal StatesThe Catalysts ? Translation FactorsInhibitors of Protein Synthesis ? Antibiotics, ResistanceThe Process ? TranslationProtein Processing, Folding and TargetingEvolution of the Translation Apparatus Readership: Upper level undergraduates and graduate students with an interest in protein synthesis; researchers in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysics who need to get an overview of translation.

Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Biosynthesis is a collection of papers dealing with cell-free systems at the molecular level, including transfer RNA; the initiation, elongation, and termination processes; ribosome structure and function; mRNA translation; and DNA-directed in vitro protein synthesis. A couple of papers review tRNA, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, and aspects of ribosome structure. One paper discusses affinity labeling in the study of binding and catalytic sites of large complex and heterogeneous systems such as the ribosome. The investigator should be aware of the chemically reactive or photoactivatible analogue reacting specifically with one or more ribosomal components. This reaction should be determined if it is dependent on the correct binding of the affinity label at the functional site. Another paper describes the series of reactions in protein synthesis as the process by which the ribosome moves relative to the messenger RNA. Other papers discuss messenger RNA and its translation, DNA-dependent cell-free protein synthesis, as well as the genetics of the translational apparatus. The collection will benefit microbiologists, biotechnologists, and academicians connected with the biological sciences.