Structure of functional A salina -- E coli hybrid ribosome by electron microscopy

Small 40S Artemia salina and large 50S Escherichia coli ribosomal subunits can be assembled into 73S hybrid monosomes active in model assays for protein synthesis. The reciprocal combination -- small 30S E coli and large 60S A salina -- fails to form hybrids. The 73S hybrid particles strongly resemble homologous 70S E coli and 80S A salina monosomes. The morphologic differences between the corresponding eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomal particles, established by electron microscopy, do not significantly affect the assembly and mutual orientation of 40S A slina and 50S E coli subunits in the heterologous monosome. The fact that the structure of the interface, the supposed site of protein synthesis, is preserved in the active hybrid implies that retention or loss of biologic activity of hybrid ribosomes is determined by the extent of conformational changes in the interface.