Origins of the Mechanochemical Coupling of Peptide Bond Formation to Protein Synthesis.

ABSTRACT: Mechanical forces acting on the ribosome can alter the speed of protein synthesis, indicating that mechanochemistry can contribute to translation control of gene expression. The naturally occurring sources of these mechanical forces, the mechanism by which they are transmitted 10 nm to the ribosome's catalytic core, and how they influence peptide bond formation rates are largely unknown. Here, we identify a new source of mechanical force acting on the ribosome by using in situ experimental measurements of changes in nascent-chain extension in the exit tunnel in conjunction with all-atom and coarse-grained computer simulations. We demonstrate that when the number of residues composing a nascent chain increases, its unstructured segments outside the ribosome exit tunnel generate piconewtons

SUBMITTER: Fritch B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5998662 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature