Structural Homology between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Ribosomes

Abstract

The structural complexity of ribosomes is evident from the large number of their constituents - ribosomal proteins and ribonucleic acids. The simplest known prokaryotic (70S) ribosome from E. coli is composed of 53 different proteins and three ribonucleic acid molecules (23S, 16S and 5S RNA). Eukaryotic (80S) ribosomes also consist of three RNAs (28S, 18S and 5S) but contain a higher number of proteins, approximately 70. The mutual interactions of ribosomal proteins and RNAs determine the final structure and thus the biological activity of the ribosome. As expected for particles with the above composition, ribosomes and both ribosomal subunits have no symmetry or repetition in structure.Electron micrographs of ribosomes (stained with 0.5% aqueous uranyl acetate and deposited on a fine carbon support) show distinct contours and electron dense pattern. Critical evaluation of different views of the two-dimensional projections of the ribosomal contours can provide a reasonable basis for proposing a three-dimensional model of the ribosome.