C. Vesco, B. Colombo
Feb 14, 1970
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Influential Citations
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Journal
Journal of molecular biology
Abstract
Abstract Incubation of HeLa cells with sodium fluoride results in inhibition of protein synthesis, disaggregation of polyribosomes, accumulation of 80 s ribosomes and decrease of free ribosomal subunits. Part of the messenger released from polyribosomes by fluoride is recovered in a particle sedimenting at 95 s. The decrease of ribosomal subunits occurs only in cells which are active in protein synthesis and appears to be due to the block of ribosome dissociation which in turn prevents ribosome recycling. The analysis of small ribosomal subunits “chasing” into ribosomes, when the free ribosomal subunit pool is depleted in the presence of sodium fluoride, shows no evidence of selectivity between relatively new and old particles in this conversion. After the removal of sodium fluoride, the normal level of free ribosomal subunits is restored at the expense of a random dissociation of ribosomes. The results are consistent with a model of ribosome function in which cyclic dissociation into free ribosomal subunits takes place.