Unraveling Ribosome Assembly

Ribosomes are large macromolecular machines that catalyze protein synthesis in all cells. In eukaryotic cells ribosome assembly requires a macromolecular machinery of >170 proteins and >70 RNAs. While we know that this machinery is absolutely essential for life, we have little understanding of the function of the individual players. To shed light on the function of these assembly factors, we use a combination of approaches – including biochemistry, mechanistic enzymology, yeast genetics, structural biology, and protein engineering. We have focused on assembly of the 40S subunit and have developed a recombinant system that recapitulates the final steps in assembly. This system now allows us to uncover new steps and dissect the role of individual proteins in these steps. Our ultimate goal is to understand the function of assembly factors, the order of events as well as the rationale for this order, aiming to delineate general principles important for the assembly of large RNA-protein complexes.