Maturation of eukaryotic ribosomes: acquisition of functionality

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibs.2010.01.001 Byline: Vikram Govind Panse (1), Arlen W. Johnson (2) Abstract: In eukaryotic cells, ribosomes are pre-assembled in the nucleus and exported to the cytoplasm where they undergo final maturation. This involves the release of trans-acting shuttling factors, transport factors, incorporation of the remaining ribosomal proteins, and final rRNA processing steps. Recent work, particularly on the large (60S) ribosomal subunit, has confirmed that the 60S subunit is exported from the nucleus in a functionally inactive state. Its arrival in the cytoplasm triggers events that render it translationally competent. Here we focus on these cytoplasmic maturation events and speculate why eukaryotic cells have evolved such an elaborate maturation pathway. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute of Biochemistry (IBC), ETH Zurich, Schafmattstrasse 18, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland (2) Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA