Leaps in Translational Elongation

摘要

Ribosomes are the sites of protein synthesis in all cells. They are complexes of one or two small and two large RNA molecules and a multitude of proteins and are divided into a small and a large subunit. This complex system, with its many functional steps, cannot be described in a cartoon fashion. Each year, further details of the complexity of protein synthesis emerge. Two Research Articles in this week's issue (1, 2) and two other recent studies (3,4) shed light on the mechanisms, dynamics, and functions of key elements in the protein synthesis process.