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Mechanism of recycling of post-termination ribosomal complexes in eubacteria: A new role of initiation factor 3

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Abstract

Ribosome recycling is a process which dissociates the post-termination complexes (post-TC) consisting of mRNA-bound ribosomes harbouring deacylated tRNA(s). Ribosome recycling factor (RRF), and elongation factor G (EFG) participate in this crucial process to free the ribosomal subunits for a new round of translation. We discuss the overall pathway of ribosome recycling in eubacteria with especial reference to the important role of the initiation factor 3 (IF3) in this process. Depending on the step(s) at which IF3 function is implicated, three models have been proposed. In model 1, RRF and EFG dissociate the post-TCs into the 50S and 30S subunits, mRNAand tRNA(s). In this model, IF3, which binds to the 30S subunit, merely keeps the dissociated subunits apart by its anti-association activity. In model 2, RRF and EFG separate the 50S subunit from the post-TC. IF3 then dissociates the remaining complex of mRNA, tRNA and the 30S subunit, and keeps the ribosomal subunits apart from each other. However, in model 3, both the genetic and biochemical evidence support a more active role for IF3 even at the step of dissociation of the post-TC by RRF and EFG into the 50S and 30S subunits.

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Abbreviations

EFG:

Elongation factor G

IF 3:

initiation factor 3

post-TC:

post termination complex

RF:

release factor

RRF:

ribosome recycling factor

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  1. Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, 560 012, Bangalore, India

    Anuradha Seshadri & Umesh Varshney

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  1. Anuradha Seshadri
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  2. Umesh Varshney
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Correspondence to Umesh Varshney.

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Seshadri, A., Varshney, U. Mechanism of recycling of post-termination ribosomal complexes in eubacteria: A new role of initiation factor 3. J Biosci 31, 281–289 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02703921

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