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Dynamic Behavior of Trigger Factor on the Ribosome

  • J. Deeng
  • , K. Y. Chan
  • , E. O. van der Sluis
  • , O. Berninghausen
  • , W. Han
  • , J. Gumbart
  • , K. Schulten
  • , B. Beatrix
  • , R. Beckmann

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Trigger factor (TF) is the only ribosome-associated chaperone in bacteria. It interacts with hydrophobic segments in nascent chain (NCs) as they emerge from the ribosome. TF binds via its N-terminal ribosome-binding domain (RBD) mainly to ribosomal protein uL23 at the tunnel exit on the large ribosomal subunit. Whereas earlier structural data suggested that TF binds as a rigid molecule to the ribosome, recent comparisons of structural data on substrate-bound, ribosome-bound, and TF in solution from different species suggest that this chaperone is a rather flexible molecule. Here, we present two cryo-electron microscopy structures of TF bound to ribosomes translating an mRNA coding for a known TF substrate from Escherichia coli of a different length. The structures reveal distinct degrees of flexibility for the different TF domains, a conformational rearrangement of the RBD upon ribosome binding, and an increase in rigidity within TF when the NC is extended. Molecular dynamics simulations agree with these data and offer a molecular basis for these observations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3588-3602
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Molecular Biology
Volume428
Issue number18
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 11 2016

Keywords

  • chaperones
  • cryo-electron microscopy
  • molecular dynamics simulation
  • protein folding
  • ribosome-binding domain

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology
  • Molecular Biology

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