Translational termination comes of age

Translational termination has been a largely ignored aspect of protein synthesis for many years. However, the recent identification of new release-factor genes, the mapping of release-factor functional sites and in vitro reconstitution experiments have provided a deeper understanding of the termination mechanism. In addition, protein-protein interactions among release factors and with other proteins have been revealed. The three-dimensional structures of a prokaryotic ribosome recycling factor and eukaryotic release factor 1 (eRF1) mimic the shape of transfer RNA, indicating that they bind to the same ribosomal site. Post-termination events in bacteria have been clarified, linking termination, ribosomal recycling and translation initiation.