Modulation of ribosomal recruitment to 5′‐terminal start codons by translation initiation factors IF2 and IF3

Sequence determinants and structural features of the RNA govern mRNA–ribosome interaction in bacteria. However, ribosomal recruitment to leaderless mRNAs, which start directly with the AUG start codon and do not bear a Shine–Dalgarno sequence like canonical mRNAs, does not appear to rely on 16S rRNA–mRNA interactions. Here, we have studied the effects of translation initiation factors IF2 and IF3 on 30S initiation at a 5′‐terminal AUG and at a...