An x-ray diffraction study of ribosome structure

Dense gels of E. coli 70 S ribosomes, their 50 S subunits, CM-like particles, RNP strands and their fragments, 38 S particles obtained from RNP strand folding upon addition of Mg2+ ions, and of unoriented salt-free and free rRNA sodium and magnesium salts were studied by X-ray diffraction. It was shown that under dense gel conditions RNA molecules contained in ribosomes unfolded by desalting, like all other particles considered here, have helical regions. Under these conditions free desalted RNA has no helical regions. Experimental data on X-ray scattering at medium angles were compared with the diffraction curves calculated for homogeneous prolate and oblate ellipsoids, for various ellipsoids containing a dense region or an internal cavity, and for ellipsoids containing internal periodic regions. The results indicate that the internal structure of the 50 S ribosome is periodic, i. e., its components form a periodic lattice. The lattice spacings are approximately 42 and 28 A with a 0.8g/g dry weight sample water content. When the 50 S particle water content drops below 0.2 g/g dry weight the periodic structure is disrupted. This disruption is reversible. It was shown that CM-like particles at high ionic strenght (2 M LiCl) have approximately the same internal periodicity as the 50 S particles, but in contrast they lose this periodicity at low ionic strength (10-2M tris-HCl and 5-10-3 M MgCl2).