Modeling of Ribosome Dynamics on a ds-mRNA under an External Load

TL;DR

This paper presents a simplified six-state model of ribosome dynamics to analyze translation rates under external forces, revealing that ribosomes function similarly to Brownian Ratchet motors, enhancing understanding of their biological behavior.

Contribution

The study introduces a new six-state model for ribosome activity and provides a quantitative analysis of translation rates under external forces, highlighting the Brownian Ratchet mechanism.

Findings

Ribosome behaves like a Brownian Ratchet motor.

Translation rate depends on external force and RNA structure.

Model explains ribosome behavior in various biological conditions.

Abstract

Protein molecules in cells are synthesized by macromolecular machines called ribosomes. According to recent experimental data, we reduce the complexity of the ribosome and propose a model to express its activity in six main states. Using our model, we study the translation rate in different biological relevant situations in the presence of external force, and translation through the RNA double stranded region in the absence or presence of the external force. In the present study, we give a quantitative theory for translation rate and show that the ribosome behaves more like a Brownian Ratchet motor. Our findings could shed some light on understanding behaviors of the ribosome in biological conditions.