TEMPLATE-DEPENDENT PEPTIDE FORMATION ON RIBOSOMES CATALYZED BY PYRIDINE

We found that poly(U)-dependent polyphenylalanine synthesis on Escheri chia coli ribosomes was extremely accelerated in the presence of a hig h concentration of pyridine. In this reaction, chemical energy sources , such as ATP and G;TP, and soluble protein factors are not required, but the template and ribosomes are essential for the progress of the r eaction. The reaction was inhibited by the antibiotics which inhibit t he usual bacterial translation process on the ribosomes. These observa tions clearly demonstrate that the pyridine-catalyzed amino acid conde nsation reaction proceeds on the ribosome.