Bacterial Ribosome Heterogeneity by Truncated r-Proteins

Proteins are the building blocks of a cell. To generate a protein, the corresponding genetic information on the DNA is copied onto a temporary storage module, the RNA. An enormous complex called the ribosome reads the copied information on the RNA and connects different amino acids according to the genetic code to synthesize the desired protein. Ribosomes are thus essential for the survival of all cellular life forms. Interestingly, ribosomes are made partially from proteins. In a sense, they are also manufacturing themselves. For a long time, all ribosomes of a cell were believed to be the same. Meanwhile, it was discovered that this is not necessarily true. Newer research showed that partially the building blocks of the ribosome can be dynamically changed to regulate the synthesis of specific proteins. In this project, we want to investigate whether a similar dynamic regulation of the ribosomes happens in bacteria. More specifically, we hypothesize that truncated variants of the regular ribosomal proteins are synthesized under certain harsh stress conditions and subsequently integrated into ribosomes. The research on the influence of these adapted ribosomes on the survival of the bacterial cells will thus contribute significantly to our understanding of stress regulation on the level of protein synthesis.