Abstract

During protein synthesis, ribosome moves along mRNA to decode one codon after the other. Ribosome translocation is induced by a universally conserved protein, elongation factor G (EF-G) in bacteria and elongation factor 2 (EF-2) in eukaryotes. EF-G-induced translocation results in unwinding of the intramolecular secondary structures of mRNA by three base pairs at a time that renders the translating ribosome a processive helicase. Professor Alexander Sergeevich Spirin has made numerous seminal contributions to understanding the molecular mechanism of translocation. Here, we review Spirin’s insights into the ribosomal translocation and recent advances in the field that stemmed from Spirin’s pioneering work. We also discuss key remaining challenges in studies of translocase and helicase activities of the ribosome.

中文翻译：

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核糖体作为转位酶和解旋酶

摘要

在蛋白质合成过程中，核糖体沿着 mRNA 移动以解码一个又一个的密码子。核糖体易位由普遍保守的蛋白质、细菌中的延伸因子 G (EF-G) 和真核生物中的延伸因子 2 (EF-2) 诱导。EF-G 诱导的易位导致 mRNA 的分子内二级结构一次解旋三个碱基对，从而使翻译核糖体成为进行性解旋酶。Alexander Sergeevich Spirin 教授为理解易位的分子机制做出了许多开创性的贡献。在这里，我们回顾了 Spirin 对核糖体易位的见解以及源于 Spirin 开创性工作的该领域的最新进展。我们还讨论了核糖体转位酶和解旋酶活性研究中的主要挑战。