Processes involved in protein translation

Lai, Jonathan

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Description

Title

Processes involved in protein translation

Author(s)

Lai, Jonathan

Issue Date

2017-07-13

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Luthey-Schulten, Zaida

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Luthey-Schulten, Zaida

Committee Member(s)

• Gruebele, Martin
• Ha, Taejkip
• Kuhlman, Thomas

Department of Study

Chemistry

Discipline

Chemistry

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Molecular dynamics
• Translation
• Proteins

Abstract

Protein translation—the process of converting genetic information into protein chains—is one of the oldest biological processes on planet Earth. Because of its age, all organisms, after the last universal common ancestor, use the same basic components—such as the transfer RNA (tRNA); aminoacyl-tRNA synthases; and the ribosome and its various elongation, initiation, and release factors—to carry out the translation process. It is the latter group, ribosomes and associated proteins, that physically make the peptide chains. In the following thesis, we will explore the assembly and function of two components and their role in the protein synthesis. The thesis has been divided into several chapters describing (1-2) the assembly of the small subunit of the ribosome (SSU), and (3) free energy change and the mechanism of elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). The function and evolutionary history of both components are intertwined as the SSU is responsible for decoding information encoded in messenger RNA (mRNA) and EF-Tu is responsible for delivering amino acid building blocks to the ribosome.

Graduation Semester

2017-08

Type of Resource

text

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Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2017 Jonathan Lai

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