Gavril Lucian-Ionu

Grupa 406, Inginerie Software

The ribosome

A ribosome represents a specialized subunit inside a cell which provides a

certain functionality, being therefore a cell organelle. Having in composition
specific nucleic acids and proteins, its functionality is related to producing
proteins. The kernel of the production of protein is represented by the information
translation and the amino acids linking. Ribosomes can be seen as not only
language translators, but also assembly workers, reading sequences of
messenger RNA, translating these sequences and realizing the necessary steps to
build the protein. More generally, one can notice that it presents the following
functionalities: (1) to translate the encoded information present in the kernel of a
cell, information offered by the messenger RNA, (2) to realise the link between
certain amino acids provided by the cytoplasm, (3) to forward the realised
polypeptide back to the cytoplasm as a protein with specific attributions.
The location of ribosomes is in the cytoplasm, until they are provided a
messenger RNA message to be translated. After the receival, they initiate the
decription of code. In the case in which the translated message has a special
destination, the required ribosomes (known as bound ribosomes) have the goal to
attach to a particular cellular construction, named endoplasmatic reticulum. In
many situations, the protein realised by these kind of ribosomes has the meaning
to get out the cell through exocytosis. The existence of ribosomes is a temporary
one, after the synthesis of a specific protein is realised, the subunits are
segregatted, being reused or not. The rate of joining amino acids is up to 200 per
minute. While larger structures of proteins (for example, composed of 20.000
amino acid) require two to three hours to be realised, small proteins can be made
quite fast.
In the structure of a ribosome (which can be viewed as a a complex
machine), two sub divisions parts can be noticed. With a mass of molecule of
around 4.200,000 Da, an eukaryotic ribosome is formed from nucleic acids and
around 80 proteins. Not only prokaryotic but also eukaryotic cells present
ribosomes, but the ones from the first type of cells are smaller than the ones
from the second type of cells. The nucleous is the place where the proteins and
nucleic acids the ribosome is built from are made, these being released into
cytoplasm through nuclear pores. The subunits of ribosome have a different size,
the larger having a dimension of more than two times than the smaller.
While the smaller subunit has a decoding functionality, the larger unit of
the ribosome presents a catalytic functionality. The first is responsible to link up
with mRNA and to fix on the larger one. After the production process of a protein

is realised, the subunits are segregatted, so the ribosomes have a provisory

existence.
Numerous chemicals are involved in the process of translation and protein
synthesis, through numerous reactions involving enzymes. For the protein
production, a contamination free and suitable facility is required, protected by a
membrane, so that the molecules that enter or exit follow selective channels in
the structure of the molecule. Moreover, an information supply in a manageable
manner is required. This information is provided by the nucleus (kernel of cell)
through the messenger RNA. A certain amount of specific amino acids is also
required, from which the needed amino acids are obtained. These amino acids,
resulted from food, are at dispose from the cytoplasm. Of high importance is also
a mechansim for selection and deliery of the amino acids from the cytoplasm,
this being realised by short strands of tRNA, which act as adapter tools.
It is also essential for the process to deliver in the cytoplasm the realised
peptide, using a special channel or tunnel or cleft. In addition, the used
messenger RNA leaves the smaller sub-unit of the ribosome through a channel on
the opposite part of the entry point. On the other hand, tRNA being in
unchanged state leaves through a channel in the molecular structure of the
larger subuit of the ribosome.
Thee are three stages involved in the creation of the proteins. The first one
is initiation, in which a small sub-unit from the ribosome connects to a messenger
RNA strand. The construction then moves to a large subunit of the ribosome.
The following stage is represented by elongation, during which the main
part of the desired protein is realised. One of the most important substages in
elongation is represented by translocation, in which the ribosome moves along
the messenger RNA by one codon notch and a new cycle initiates. Elongation
practically represents addition of amino acids in a stepwise manner to the chain
of proteins. The addition is realised according to the sequence of codons
presented by the mRNA. The process of elongation is realised in the following
order: (1) amino acid containing tRNA are selected by elongation factor eEF -1 in
presence of GTP; (2) the realised structure enters the emtpy A-site on a ribosome
carrying an initiator Met-tRNA or a peptydyl-tRNA; (3) The anticodon of the
aminoacyl-tRNA is matched against the mRNA codon situated in the A-sit; (4) The
formation of the peptide bond is realised; (5) The ribosome contiunes to move to
the following codon on the mRNA; (6) After the realisation of translocation, the
following codon on the mRNA is prepared for interaction; (7) The reaction stages
are reiterated until the moment when the ribosome finds a stop condition.
The termination stage occurs when the ribosome arrives at the end of the
messenger RNA strand, signalling the end of creation for a certain coded protein.
The chemicals representing the release factor prevent any more element
additions. A new polypeptide is completely relocated into the cytoplasm using a
cleft (channel) from the large subunit of the ribosome. The two subunits of the
ribosome disagregate.

It is important to notice that almost all the proteins needed by cells are
realised by the ribosomes. Ribosomes can be located in the cytoplasm, or
attached to endoplasmatic reticulum. While the information is received from the
kernel of the cell, the substances needed for production are provided from the
cytoplasm. Ribosomes are realised by the process of fixing a small subunit with a
large subunit. The first one is available in cytoplasm in general. A ribosome is a
structure of ribonucleoproteins, where two-thirds represent ribosomal RNA and
one-third ribosomal protein. The translation mechanism in prokaryotes can be
attacked by using streptomycin (orother antibiotic drugs), but, unfortunately,
specific bacterial toxins and viruses can also realise this. After creation from
ribosome, most of proteins pass through post translational modification, which
represents other series of modifications.