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Isolation of Translating Ribosomes Containing Peptidyl-tRNAs for Functional and Structural Analyses
Published on: February 25, 2011
When stable RNA becomes unstable: the degradation of ribosomes in bacteria and beyond
Ülo Maiväli1, Anton Paier, Tanel Tenson
1Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, Tartu 50411, Estonia. ymaivali@ut.ee
Abstract:
This review takes a comparative look at the various scenarios where ribosomes are degraded in bacteria and eukaryotes with emphasis on studies involving Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. While the molecular mechanisms of degradation in bacteria and yeast appear somewhat different, we argue that the underlying causes of ribosome degradation are remarkably similar. In both model organisms during ribosomal assembly, partially formed pre-ribosomal particles can be degraded by at least two different sequentially-acting quality control pathways and fully assembled but functionally faulty ribosomes can be degraded in a separate quality control pathway. In addition, ribosomes that are both structurally- and functionally-sound can be degraded as an adaptive measure to stress.
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