The Ayerst Award Lecture 1984. The ribosome: a biochemist's mechano set

A ribosome, the cellular site for protein synthesis, is a very complex organelle composed of a myriad of macromolecular substructures. As models for this complex structure, we have been examining the structures and interactions of eukaryotic 5S and 5.8S rRNAs using adaptations of rapid RNA gel sequencing techniques. Estimates for their higher order structures have been proposed or evaluated, sites of interaction with other ribosomal components have been delineated, and the topography of these RNAs within the intact ribosome or 60S subunit have been examined. The results indicate that a universal structure for the ribosomal RNAs may only be present within the ribosome, that these molecules are probably present, at least in part, within the ribosomal interface, and that the bases for interactions with other ribosomal components are strongly dependent on their higher order structure. The experimental approaches which underlie these studies are considered in this review and the significance of the results with respect to the function and evolution of the ribosome are briefly discussed.