FBS Colloquia No.300RIKEN BDR

Ribosome reconstitution in a cell-free protein synthesis system

The ribosome is a super-molecular complex that plays a central role in a celllar protein synthesis machinery. It is composed of two subunits, large and small, and the bacterial ribosome is composed of three ribosomal RNAs with different lengths and 54 ribosomal proteins. Understanding how such a complex is formed in the cell is crucial for understanding the self-sustaining properties of the cell and its evolution, as well as for engineering of metabolic processes involving the complexes. We have tried to address this issue by reconstituting ribosomes from individual molecules in a cell-free protein synthesis system and by observing their protein synthesis activities in order to understand the ribosome formation process. We'd like to introduce our recent efforts in this presentation.