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Ribosomes, Polysomes and the Translation Process

  • Chapter
Nucleic Acids and Proteins in Plants I

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology ((922,volume 14 / A))

Abstract

The molecular constituents most directly determining the structure and function of cells are the proteins, the end products of the expression of the cell’s genetic information. Synthesis of all proteins probably occurs by a process in which ribosomes catalyze the polymerization of amino acids in an alignment determined by the sequence of nucleotides in a nucleic acid template. The initial polypeptide produced is often modified by removal of a peptide fragment, methylation, acetylation, glycosylation, and/or phosphorylation to attain its final functional state. In situations where a protein is destined to pass across a membrane, the protein is often synthesized with a hydrophobic N-terminal region that is discarded after the protein has traversed the membrane. This chapter is concerned with the synthesis of the primary peptide product and focuses on the mechanisms used by the cell to accomplish this synthesis. The processes by which the production of different protein species might be controlled is also briefly considered (see Chapter 4 for post-translational modifications).

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  1. A. Marcus
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany Science Laboratories, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Donald Boulter

  2. Institut für Biochemie der Pflanzen Halle, Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Weinberg 3, Postfach 250, 401, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Benno Parthier

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Marcus, A. (1982). Ribosomes, Polysomes and the Translation Process. In: Boulter, D., Parthier, B. (eds) Nucleic Acids and Proteins in Plants I. Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, vol 14 / A. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68237-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68237-7_4

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