The Structural and Functional Organization of Ribosomal Compartment in the Cell: A Mystery or a Reality?

Elizaveta A Karpova (1, 2) , Reynald Gillet (3)

1 SPbU - St Petersburg State University
2 UAB - University of Alabama at Birmingham [ Birmingham]
3 IGDR - Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes

Great progress has been made toward solving the atomic structure of the ribosome, which is the main biosynthetic machine in cells, but we still do not have a full picture of exactly how cellular ribosomes function. Based on the analysis of crystallographic and electron microscopy data, we propose a basic model of the structural organization of ribosomes into a compartment. This compartment is regularly formed by arrays of ribosomal tetramers made up of two dimers that are actually facing in opposite directions. The compartment functions as the main 'factory' for the production of cellular proteins. The model is consistent with the existing biochemical and genetic data. We also consider the functional connections of such a compartment with cellular transcription and ribosomal biogenesis.

Mots clés: cellular compartment; electron microscopy; crystals; RNA polymerase; polysome; ribosome

Domaines: Génétique

Elizaveta A Karpova, Reynald Gillet. The Structural and Functional Organization of Ribosomal Compartment in the Cell: A Mystery or a Reality?. Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 2018, 43 (12), pp.938-950. ⟨10.1016/j.tibs.2018.09.017⟩. ⟨hal-01903169⟩