When a bacterial ribosome encounters a defective mRNA during the course of protein synthesis, the ribosome may 'stall', thereby blocking further protein synthesis at that ribosome. Such a stalled ...

During trans-translation, transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) and small protein B (SmpB) together rescue ribosomes stalled on a truncated mRNA and tag the nascent polypeptide for degradation. We used ...

Ribosomes are “protein factories” in the cells of all living things. They produce proteins based on existing genetic codes stored on special nucleic acid molecules. These molecules, also called ...

Fatal errors sometimes occur in messenger RNA, the blueprint for proteins. A special form of RNA, so-called tmRNA, bypasses these errors and cleans up the mess. Dutch researcher Sharief Barends ...

tmRNAs are bacterial molecules that have been described as a cross between tRNAs and mRNAs. They are implicated in the unusual process of trans-translation, which involves ribosomal switching between ...

The molecular processes responsible for protein synthesis are usually very efficient, but the ribosomes can stall if defective or incomplete mRNA molecules dock and initiate translation. To rescue ...