Structures of prokaryotic ribosomal proteins: implications for RNA binding and evolution

After a long hiatus, the pace of determination of the structures of ribosomal proteins has accelerated dramatically. We discuss here the structures of five ribosomal proteins from Bacillus stearothermophilus: S5, S17, L6, L9, and L14. These structures represent several new motifs. Each of these structures has revealed new insights, and we have developed criteria for recognizing RNA-binding regions of each protein and correlating the structures with such properties as antibiotic resistance. The information here should also prove invaluable in an eventual high-resolution picture of the intact ribosome.