Two different mechanisms for ribosome/mRNA interaction in archaeal translation initiation

Summary In this study, we have analysed the features of mRNA/ribosome interaction in the thermophilic archeon Sulfolobus solfataricus . Leadered mRNAs endowed with Shine–Dalgarno (SD) motifs formed stable binary complexes with 30S subunits, optimally at high temperature (65–70°C) and without the aid of initiator tRNA (tRNAi) or any factor. ‘Toeprinting’ assays revealed that the SD motifs were necessary and sufficient to direct the 30S subunit to...