Transfer RNA binding to 80S ribosomes from yeast: evidence for three sites

The number of tRNA binding sites in 80S ribosomes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was assessed by means of tRNA saturation and translocation experiments. In the absence of cognate mRNA yeast ribosomes could bind 0.6 [32P]tRNA(Phe) per 80S while poly(U) programmed ribosomes accepted up to 1.7 tRNA(Phe) molecules per 80S or 0.5 molecules of Ac[14C]Phe-tRNA(Phe) per 80S. Compared with the known features of E. coli ribosomes these binding values indicated both the presence of three tRNA binding sites and the validity of the exclusion principle for peptidyl-tRNA binding to yeast ribosomes. Upon EF-2 dependent translocation of a complex containing deacyl-tRNA in the P-site and AcPHe-tRNA in the A-site, the deacylated tRNA does not leave the ribosome quantitatively. This observation suggests the presence of an E site in 80S ribosomes which is functionally equivalent to the one previously characterized in prokaryotic systems.