Premium
Insights into the ribosomal trans ‐translation rescue system: lessons from recent structural studies
Author(s) -
D’Urso Gaetano,
Guyomar Charlotte,
Chat Sophie,
Giudice Emmanuel,
Gillet Reynald
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/febs.16349
Subject(s) - ribosome , protein biosynthesis , stop codon , messenger rna , translation (biology) , ribosomal rna , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , computational biology , rna , chemistry , biochemistry , gene
The arrest of protein synthesis caused when ribosomes stall on an mRNA lacking a stop codon is a deadly risk for all cells. In bacteria, this situation is remedied by the trans‐ translation quality control system. Trans ‐translation occurs because of the synergistic action of two main partners, transfer‐messenger RNA (tmRNA) and small protein B (SmpB). These act in complex to monitor protein synthesis, intervening when necessary to rescue stalled ribosomes. During this process, incomplete nascent peptides are tagged for destruction, problematic mRNAs are degraded and the previously stalled ribosomes are recycled. In this ‘Structural Snapshot’ article, we describe the mechanism at the molecular level, a view updated after the most recent structural studies using cryo‐electron microscopy.