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Ribosomes are present inside bacterial cells at micromolar concentrations and occupy up to 20% of the cell volume. Under these conditions, even weak quinary interactions between ribosomes and cytosolic proteins can affect protein activity. By using in-cell and in vitro NMR spectroscopy, and biophysical techniques, we show that the enzymes, adenylate kinase and dihydrofolate reductase, and the respective coenzymes, ATP and NADPH, bind to ribosomes with micromolar affinity, and that this interaction suppresses the enzymatic activities of both enzymes. Conversely, thymidylate synthase, which works together with dihydrofolate reductase in the thymidylate synthetic pathway, is activated by ribosomes. We also show that ribosomes impede diffusion of green fluorescent protein in vitro and contribute to the decrease in diffusion in vivo. These results strongly suggest that ribosome-mediated quinary interactions contribute to the differences between in vitro and in vivo protein activities and that ribosomes play a previously under-appreciated nontranslational role in regulating cellular biochemistry.

RNA constitutes up to 20% of a cell’s dry weight, corresponding to ~20 mg/mL. This high concentration of RNA facilitates low-affinity protein–RNA quinary interactions, which may play an important role in facilitating and regulating biological processes. In the yeast Pichia pastoris, the level of ubiquitin-RNA colocalization increases when cells are grown in the presence of dextrose and methanol instead of methanol as the sole carbon source. Total RNA isolated from cells grown in methanol increases β-galactosidase activity relative to that seen with RNA isolated from cells grown in the presence of dextrose and methanol. Because the total cellular RNA content changes with growth medium, protein–RNA quinary interactions can alter in-cell protein biochemistry and may play an important role in cell adaptation, critical to many physiological and pathological states.