After the ribosome structures: How are the subunits assembled?

Abstract

The recent structures of the ribosome and the ribosomal subunits only heighten the intrigue of trying to understand how the ribosome is assembled. Biochemical and mechanistic studies have mapped out the basic series of protein binding events that occur, but we do not yet have a clear picture of the RNA conformational changes that must accompany the protein binding. Recent studies point to roles of protein folding chaperones and RNA helicases as facilitators of ribosome assembly, but the basic process of assembly seems to be encoded in the RNA sequences and can occur for the most part spontaneously in vitro, and quite possibly in vivo as well.