THIS WEEK IN SCIENCE

摘要

In bacteria, translation of messenger RNA into proteins by the ribosome usually begins soon after the ribosome binding site emerges from RNA polymerase. Now there is evidence for direct coupling between transcription and translation in bacteria. Proshkin et al. (p. 504; see the Perspective by Roberts) show that the trailing ribosome controls the rate of transcription by preventing RNA polymerase from spontaneous backtracking, which allows precise adjustment of transcriptional yield to translational needs under various growth conditions.