Initial bridges between two ribosomal subunits are formed within 9.4 milliseconds, as studied by time-resolved cryo-EM.

ABSTRACT: Association of the two ribosomal subunits during the process of translation initiation is a crucial step of protein synthesis. The two subunits (30S and 50S) of the bacterial 70S ribosome are held together by 12 dynamic bridges involving RNA-RNA, RNA-protein, and protein-protein interactions. The process of bridge formation, such as whether all these bridges are formed simultaneously or in a sequential order, is poorly understood. To understand such processes, we have developed and implemented a class of microfluidic devices that mix two components to completion within 0.4 ms and spray the mixture in the form of microdroplets onto an electron microscopy grid, yielding a minimum reaction time of 9.4 ms before cryofixation. Using these devices, we have obtained cryo-EM data corresponding to

SUBMITTER: Shaikh TR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4103372 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature