Venki Ramakrishnan

or it has ways of detecting when protein synthesis has gone wrong, when ribosomes have stalled because they've run out of amino acids. And what do you do about stalled ribosomes? So there's a whole series of control mechanisms and regulatory mechanisms. And the interesting thing is viruses will often hijack the ribosome. So they will shut down what's called the initiation machinery.

or it has ways of detecting when protein synthesis has gone wrong, when ribosomes have stalled because they've run out of amino acids. And what do you do about stalled ribosomes? So there's a whole series of control mechanisms and regulatory mechanisms. And the interesting thing is viruses will often hijack the ribosome. So they will shut down what's called the initiation machinery.

This is what tells the ribosome where to start on the mRNA. It doesn't start right at the extreme end. It has to start somewhere and then go along until it finds the first ribosome. codon, the first amino acid signal to be made. And that process of initiation is very complex. And what viruses do is they shut down the host initiation. So none of the host genes can be made into protein.

This is what tells the ribosome where to start on the mRNA. It doesn't start right at the extreme end. It has to start somewhere and then go along until it finds the first ribosome. codon, the first amino acid signal to be made. And that process of initiation is very complex. And what viruses do is they shut down the host initiation. So none of the host genes can be made into protein.

And then they have alternative ways of recruiting ribosomes to their own mRNA. And so they effectively hijack all of the ribosomes to make their message. In fact, the first gene product of coronavirus is something called NSP1. What NSP1 does is shuts down initiation from host mRNAs and somehow still allows coronavirus to make its own genes, you know, proteins from its own genes.

And then they have alternative ways of recruiting ribosomes to their own mRNA. And so they effectively hijack all of the ribosomes to make their message. In fact, the first gene product of coronavirus is something called NSP1. What NSP1 does is shuts down initiation from host mRNAs and somehow still allows coronavirus to make its own genes, you know, proteins from its own genes.

So there's a lot of... controlled regulation that's going on. And so even though the structure of the ribosome, the first structures came out from bacteria in about 2000, and then gradually we learned more and more about structure, the field is still going forward in all these complicated directions.

So there's a lot of... controlled regulation that's going on. And so even though the structure of the ribosome, the first structures came out from bacteria in about 2000, and then gradually we learned more and more about structure, the field is still going forward in all these complicated directions.

I don't think so. But as I've mentioned that there is this subset of the ribosome community that believes in specialized ribosomes. And they do have, you know, some data to support their view. So I think that it's still a matter of debate in the community. And it could be that there are specialized ribosomes. I wouldn't be completely surprised.

I don't think so. But as I've mentioned that there is this subset of the ribosome community that believes in specialized ribosomes. And they do have, you know, some data to support their view. So I think that it's still a matter of debate in the community. And it could be that there are specialized ribosomes. I wouldn't be completely surprised.

Although if you had to ask my personal opinion, I think that We still need to have stronger evidence for that.

Although if you had to ask my personal opinion, I think that We still need to have stronger evidence for that.

People have already done that. So the structures of the ribosome do describe it in atomic detail. So we know the X, Y, and Z coordinate of every atom in one state of the ribosome. But remember, the ribosome is a highly dynamic machine. It moves around. It undergoes all sorts of processes. conformational changes. And so it's very much like watching a complicated machine which moves around.

People have already done that. So the structures of the ribosome do describe it in atomic detail. So we know the X, Y, and Z coordinate of every atom in one state of the ribosome. But remember, the ribosome is a highly dynamic machine. It moves around. It undergoes all sorts of processes. conformational changes. And so it's very much like watching a complicated machine which moves around.

Take a car, for instance. You have pistons that move around or a rotor that moves around in an electric car and wheels move and steering wheels move. So it's not a static object. And the ribosome itself is not static. It has complicated movements of its various component parts.

Take a car, for instance. You have pistons that move around or a rotor that moves around in an electric car and wheels move and steering wheels move. So it's not a static object. And the ribosome itself is not static. It has complicated movements of its various component parts.

And what people are trying to do now is to simulate, using molecular dynamics, how the ribosome might move over time and as things bound to it, for example, the mRNA bound to it and the small adapter RNA molecules called tRNA molecules that bring in the amino acids to add to the protein in the ribosome.

And what people are trying to do now is to simulate, using molecular dynamics, how the ribosome might move over time and as things bound to it, for example, the mRNA bound to it and the small adapter RNA molecules called tRNA molecules that bring in the amino acids to add to the protein in the ribosome.

So all of those things can change the conformation, the shape of the ribosome, because it's a dynamic machine. And people are trying to simulate that in computers.

So all of those things can change the conformation, the shape of the ribosome, because it's a dynamic machine. And people are trying to simulate that in computers.