A comparison of structural and evolutionary attributes of Escherichia coli and Thermus thermophilus small ribosomal subunits: signatures of thermal adaptation.

ABSTRACT: Here we compare the structural and evolutionary attributes of Thermus thermophilus and Escherichia coli small ribosomal subunits (SSU). Our results indicate that with few exceptions, thermophilic 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) is densely packed compared to that of mesophilic at most of the analogous spatial regions. In addition, we have located species-specific cavity clusters (SSCCs) in both species. E. coli SSCCs are numerous and larger compared to T. thermophilus SSCCs, which again indicates densely packed thermophilic 16S rRNA. Thermophilic ribosomal proteins (r-proteins) have longer disordered regions than their mesophilic homologs and they experience larger disorder-to-order transitions during SSU-assembly. This is reflected in the predicted higher conformational changes of thermophili

SUBMITTER: Mallik S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3734280 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature