Structure of the nuclear exosome captured on a maturing preribosome

Abstract

The RNA exosome captured in action The RNA exosome, a major RNA degradation machine, processes ribosomal RNA (rRNA) precursors and is directly coupled to the protein synthesis machine, the ribosome. Using cryo–electron microscopy, Schuller et al. investigated the structure of the precursor large ribosomal subunit from yeast with unprocessed rRNA in complex with the RNA exosome. The structure captures a snapshot of two molecular machines transiently interacting and explains how the RNA exosome acts on an authentic physiological substrate and remodels the large subunit during ribosome maturation. Science , this issue p. 219