Elongation factor 4 remodels the A-site tRNA on the ribosome

Matthieu G. Gagnon, Jinzhong Lin, Thomas A. Steitz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

During translation, a plethora of protein factors bind to the ribosome and regulate protein synthesis. Many of those factors are guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), proteins that catalyze the hydrolysis of guanosine 5-triphosphate (GTP) to promote conformational changes. Despite numerous studies, the function of elongation factor 4 (EF-4/LepA), a highly conserved translational GTPase, has remained elusive. Here, we present the crystal structure at 2.6-Ã resolution of the Thermus thermophilus 70S ribosome bound to EF-4 with a nonhydrolyzable GTP analog and A-, P-, and E-site tRNAs. The structure reveals the interactions of EF-4 with the A-site tRNA, including contacts between the C-terminal domain (CTD) of EF-4 and the acceptor helical stem of the tRNA. Remarkably, EF-4 induces a distortion of the A-site tRNA, allowing it to interact simultaneously with EF-4 and the decoding center of the ribosome. The structure provides insights into the tRNA-remodeling function of EF-4 on the ribosome and suggests that the displacement of the CCA-end of the A-site tRNA away from the peptidyl transferase center (PTC) is functionally significant.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4994-4999
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume113
Issue number18
DOIs
StatePublished - May 3 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Elongation factor 4
  • Protein-RNA interactions
  • Remodeling
  • Ribosome
  • TRNA

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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