This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Laursen, B. S.
Right arrow Articles by Sperling-Petersen, H. U.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Laursen, B. S.
Right arrow Articles by Sperling-Petersen, H. U.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, March 2005, p. 101-123, Vol. 69, No. 1
1092-2172/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/MMBR.69.1.101-123.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Initiation of Protein Synthesis in Bacteria

Brian Søgaard Laursen, Hans Peter Sørensen, Kim Kusk Mortensen, and Hans Uffe Sperling-Petersen*

Department of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

Valuable information on translation initiation is available from biochemical data and recently solved structures. We present a detailed description of current knowledge about the structure, function, and interactions of the individual components involved in bacterial translation initiation. The first section describes the ribosomal features relevant to the initiation process. Subsequent sections describe the structure, function, and interactions of the mRNA, the initiator tRNA, and the initiation factors IF1, IF2, and IF3. Finally, we provide an overview of mechanisms of regulation of the translation initiation event. Translation occurs on ribonucleoprotein complexes called ribosomes. The ribosome is composed of a large subunit and a small subunit that hold the activities of peptidyltransfer and decode the triplet code of the mRNA, respectively. Translation initiation is promoted by IF1, IF2, and IF3, which mediate base pairing of the initiator tRNA anticodon to the mRNA initiation codon located in the ribosomal P-site. The mechanism of translation initiation differs for canonical and leaderless mRNAs, since the latter is dependent on the relative level of the initiation factors. Regulation of translation occurs primarily in the initiation phase. Secondary structures at the mRNA ribosomal binding site (RBS) inhibit translation initiation. The accessibility of the RBS is regulated by temperature and binding of small metabolites, proteins, or antisense RNAs. The future challenge is to obtain atomic-resolution structures of complete initiation complexes in order to understand the mechanism of translation initiation in molecular detail.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds vej 10C, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Phone: 45 89425050. Fax: 45 86182812. E-mail: husp{at}mb.au.dk.

Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, March 2005, p. 101-123, Vol. 69, No. 1
1092-2172/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/MMBR.69.1.101-123.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Blaha, G., Stanley, R. E., Steitz, T. A. (2009). Formation of the First Peptide Bond: The Structure of EF-P Bound to the 70S Ribosome. Science 325: 966-970 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wang, M., Guo, Q., Xu, X., Wang, X., Ye, X., Wu, S., Hooper, D. C., Wang, M. (2009). New Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance Gene, qnrC, Found in a Clinical Isolate of Proteus mirabilis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 53: 1892-1897 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hirokawa, G., Iwakura, N., Kaji, A., Kaji, H. (2008). The role of GTP in transient splitting of 70S ribosomes by RRF (ribosome recycling factor) and EF-G (elongation factor G). Nucleic Acids Res 36: 6676-6687 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brock, J. E., Pourshahian, S., Giliberti, J., Limbach, P. A., Janssen, G. R. (2008). Ribosomes bind leaderless mRNA in Escherichia coli through recognition of their 5'-terminal AUG. RNA 14: 2159-2169 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dulude, D., Theberge-Julien, G., Brakier-Gingras, L., Heveker, N. (2008). Selection of peptides interfering with a ribosomal frameshift in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1. RNA 14: 981-991 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ueta, M., Ohniwa, R. L., Yoshida, H., Maki, Y., Wada, C., Wada, A. (2008). Role of HPF (Hibernation Promoting Factor) in Translational Activity in Escherichia coli. J Biochem 143: 425-433 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Haque, Md. E., Grasso, D., Spremulli, L. L. (2008). The interaction of mammalian mitochondrial translational initiation factor 3 with ribosomes: evolution of terminal extensions in IF3mt. Nucleic Acids Res 36: 589-597 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kaczanowska, M., Ryden-Aulin, M. (2007). Ribosome Biogenesis and the Translation Process in Escherichia coli. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 71: 477-494 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Giuliodori, A. M., Brandi, A., Giangrossi, M., Gualerzi, C. O., Pon, C. L. (2007). Cold-stress-induced de novo expression of infC and role of IF3 in cold-shock translational bias. RNA 13: 1355-1365 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bernstein, J. R., Bulter, T., Shen, C. R., Liao, J. C. (2007). Directed Evolution of Ribosomal Protein S1 for Enhanced Translational Efficiency of High GC Rhodopseudomonas palustris DNA in Escherichia coli. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 18929-18936 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Landau, A., Diaz Paleo, A., Civitillo, R., Jaureguialzo, M., Prina, A. R. (2007). Two infA Gene Mutations Independently Originated from a Mutator Genotype in Barley. J Hered 98: 272-276 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Miura, E., Kato, Y., Matsushima, R., Albrecht, V., Laalami, S., Sakamoto, W. (2007). The Balance between Protein Synthesis and Degradation in Chloroplasts Determines Leaf Variegation in Arabidopsis yellow variegated Mutants. Plant Cell 19: 1313-1328 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Williams, E. H., Butler, C. A., Bonnefoy, N., Fox, T. D. (2007). Translation Initiation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mitochondria: Functional Interactions Among Mitochondrial Ribosomal Protein Rsm28p, Initiation Factor 2, Methionyl-tRNA-Formyltransferase and Novel Protein Rmd9p. Genetics 175: 1117-1126 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rison, S. C. G., Mattow, J., Jungblut, P. R., Stoker, N. G. (2007). Experimental determination of translational starts using peptide mass mapping and tandem mass spectrometry within the proteome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Microbiology 153: 521-528 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sletta, H., Tondervik, A., Hakvag, S., Aune, T. E. V., Nedal, A., Aune, R., Evensen, G., Valla, S., Ellingsen, T. E., Brautaset, T. (2007). The Presence of N-Terminal Secretion Signal Sequences Leads to Strong Stimulation of the Total Expression Levels of Three Tested Medically Important Proteins during High-Cell-Density Cultivations of Escherichia coli. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 906-912 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Milon, P., Tischenko, E., Tomsic, J., Caserta, E., Folkers, G., La Teana, A., Rodnina, M. V., Pon, C. L., Boelens, R., Gualerzi, C. O. (2006). The nucleotide-binding site of bacterial translation initiation factor 2 (IF2) as a metabolic sensor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 13962-13967 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Skorski, P., Leroy, P., Fayet, O., Dreyfus, M., Hermann-Le Denmat, S. (2006). The Highly Efficient Translation Initiation Region from the Escherichia coli rpsA Gene Lacks a Shine-Dalgarno Element.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6277-6285 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Christiansen, J. K., Nielsen, J. S., Ebersbach, T., Valentin-Hansen, P., Sogaard-Andersen, L., Kallipolitis, B. H. (2006). Identification of small Hfq-binding RNAs in Listeria monocytogenes. RNA 12: 1383-1396 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sachs, M. S., Geballe, A. P. (2006). Downstream control of upstream open reading frames. Genes Dev. 20: 915-921 [Full Text]  
  • Acker, M. G., Shin, B.-S., Dever, T. E., Lorsch, J. R. (2006). Interaction between Eukaryotic Initiation Factors 1A and 5B Is Required for Efficient Ribosomal Subunit Joining. J. Biol. Chem. 281: 8469-8475 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»