D. Dey et al., THE HINGE REGION OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI RIBOSOMAL-PROTEIN L7 L12 IS REQUIRED FOR FACTOR-BINDING AND GTP HYDROLYSIS/, Biochimie, 77(12), 1995, pp. 925-930
A variant form of Escherichia coli ribosomal protein L7/L12 that lacke
d residues 42 to 52 (L7/L12:Delta 42-52) in the hinge region was shown
previously to be completely inactive in supporting polyphenylalanine
synthesis although it bound to L7/L12 deficient core particles with th
e normal stoichiometry of four copies per particle (Oleinikov AV, Perr
oud B, Wang B, Traut RR (1993) J Biol Chem, 268, 917-922). The result
suggested that the hinge confers flexibility that is required for acti
vity because the resulting bent conformation allows the distal C-termi
nal domain to occupy a location on the body of the large ribosomal sub
unit proximal to the base of the L7/L12 stalk where elongation factors
bind. Factor binding to the hinge-truncated variant was tested. As an
alternative strategy to deleting residues from the hinge, seven amino
acid residues within the putative hinge region were replaced by seven
consecutive proline residues in an attempt to confer increased rigidi
ty that might reduce or eliminate the bending of the molecule inferred
to be functionally important. This variant, L7/L12:(Pro)(7), remained
fully active in protein synthesis. Whereas the binding of both factor
s in ribosomes containing L7/L12:Delta 42-52 was decreased by about 50
%, there was no loss of factor binding in ribosomes containing L7/L12:
(Pro)(7), as predicted from the retention of protein synthesis activit
y. The factor:ribosome complexes that contained L7/L12:Delta 42-52 had
the same low level of GTP hydrolysis as the core particles completely
lacking L7/L12 and EF-G did not support translocation measured by the
reaction of phe-tRNA bound in the A site with puromycin. It is conclu
ded that the hinge region is required for the functionally productive
binding of elongation factors, and the defect in protein synthesis rep
orted previously is due to this defect. The variant produced by the in
troduction of the putative rigid Pro(7) sequence retains sufficient fl
exibility for full activity.