ribosome Archives

Ribozymes are relics of molecular life forms

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Modularity, Ecology, And Theoretical Evolution Of The Ribozyme Body Plan

by Keith CowingMarch 12, 2026March 12, 2026

Ribozymes are relics of molecular life forms from the primitive earth that are embedded within modern genomes across all kingdoms of life. Despite significant knowledge from decades of bioinformatic and […]

An idealized schematic for some of the key sequential events in the establishment of the ribosome, starting from the situation in which a parasitic RNA takes advantage of a membrane-bound protocell containing ribonucleotide and amino acid resources used in viral replication, and graduating to a mutualism in which the host cell provides all of the ingredients essential to ribosome replication, and the ribosome engages with host mRNAs to produce proteins of joint utility. Arizona State University

Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

A Parasitic Origin For The Ribosome?

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2026February 25, 2026

Ribosomes are the components of cells that read RNA and build proteins. Without the ribosome, the chemistry of life would still be catalyzed by raw RNA. And yet the origin […]

Ribosome biogenesis processes and sets of RBFs in bacteria. a)Schematic view of multi-step ribosome biogenesis including the list of RBFs and tertiary structure of RPs, 70S, 50S and 30S subunits (PDB code: 4YBB, 5UYN, 6ENF, and 1RQU). The structure was visualized using CueMol. b) Boxplot representation of the number of BFs across different phyla in bacteria. Firmicutes are divided into seven groups in the AnnoTree database. * indicates fau-1, recently designated as a gene of RNase W (Vayssières et al. 2024). ** indicates a P-value of ≤ 0.01. -- Molecular Biology and Evolution

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report

Evolutionary Flexibility of Ribosome Biogenesis in Bacteria

by Keith CowingDecember 11, 2025December 10, 2025

Ribosomes are essential for protein synthesis and require ribosome biogenesis factors for assembly.

Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

SynBio: A Ring Has Been Added Onto Existing Ribosome Proteins

by Keith CowingOctober 8, 2025October 8, 2025

Inside our cells, ribosomes-the tireless “protein factories” of life-have just shown off a new skill they haven’t used in billions of years.

This image highlights two alternatives for the ribosome to be recruited to an mRNA that is still being synthesized by RNA polymerase (RNAP). RNAP (left, red) can directly deliver the mRNA to the entry channel of the small ribosomal subunit (left, yellow). Alternatively, and likely dominant in bacteria, RNAP (green) can interact with ribosomal protein bS1 (right, cyan). bS1 binds and guides the mRNA (right, white and glowing) from RNAP into the small ribosomal subunit (right, yellow). CREDIT Image courtesy of Mohammad Afsar and Huma Rahil.

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

The Structural Link For Initiation Of Protein Synthesis In Bacteria

by Keith CowingNovember 29, 2024November 29, 2024

Within a cell, DNA carries the genetic code for building proteins.

Graphical abstract -- Nucleic Acids Research

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

New Study Sheds Light on Ancient Protoribosome and its Role in Early Life Evolution

by Keith CowingOctober 2, 2024October 2, 2024

Scientists have uncovered new insights into the protoribosome, a molecular fossil within the ribosome, which plays a key role in the origin of life on Earth. This research, published in […]

Researchers from Tokyo University of Science have engineered a ribozyme structure which mimics the early RNA world and provides novel insights on the role of RNA in primitive life, to its various real-world applications -- Tokyo University of Science

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

New Study Unveils RNA’s Role In Early Life And Future Bioengineering

by Keith CowingApril 18, 2024April 18, 2024

The beginning of life on Earth and its evolution over billions of years continue to intrigue researchers worldwide. The central dogma or the directional flow of genetic information from a […]

A hypothetical evolutionary scenario of the origin and fold switch of ribosom protein msL1/msL2. The Sewall Wright’s adaptive fitness landscape shows a possible order o events in which degeneration of rRNA in microsporidian species was compensated by the orig and subsequent evolution of a new ribosomal protein. In this hypothetical order of event microsporidian species have undergone a progressive reduction of their ribosomal RNA, whic was likely caused by the accumulation of deleterious mutations in microsporidian genomes du to frequent genetic drifts. Then a new protein msL1 could originate through the spontaneous d novo birth of a gene that was retained in microsporidia due to its ability to counterbalance th rRNA reduction. As rRNA continued to evolve and reduce in size, protein msL1 then underwe a fold switch to yield protein msL2, which three-dimensional structure allowed msL2 to regain i high affinity to its further reduced binding site (rRNA helix H52). -- biorxiv.org

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

A Conserved Ribosomal Protein Has Entirely Dissimilar Structures In Different Organisms

by Keith CowingJanuary 11, 2024January 10, 2024

Ribosomes from different species can markedly differ in their composition by including dozens of ribosomal proteins that are unique to specific lineages but absent in others. However, it remains unknown […]

Event data for E. coli ribosome in 2M LiCl. Panel A shows heat map of change in conductance vs. dwell time (time molecule spends disrupting nanopore’s ionic current). Heat map color scale corresponds to a probability of an event being in that region of the heat map. Panel B shows example events interpreted to be an intact ribosome (corresponding to Panel C) and a ribosomal fragment (corresponding to Panel D). Panels C and D show overlaid events within the red boxes C and D on Panel A, plotting all events with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 10, with time scaled to 1. Event data around a current baseline of 0 pA can be observed in C and D throughout the middle of the scaled events (e.g. events with a current signal close to the baseline along time axis points of 0.4 - 0.6). This is due to instances of the automatic event extraction selecting an event with 2 translocations (due to the translocations happening close to each other temporally). -- biorxiv.org

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Tricorder Tech: Translation As A Biosignature

by Keith CowingAugust 18, 2023August 18, 2023

Life on Earth relies on mechanisms to store heritable information and translate this information into cellular machinery required for biological activity. In all known life, storage, regulation, and translation are […]

The proposed evolutionary network between the modern four b-barrels through the missing link fold, DZBB. The experimentally verified routes between each mutant pair are connected with black arrows, and the minimal necessary mutations between designs are written in purple. The DPBB protein’s evolutionary pathway, which was examined in the previous study, is highlighted in a light red background. The evolutionary routes of DZBB, RIFT, OB, and SH3 are highlighted in gray, light blue, pink, and green backgrounds, respectively. Representative proteins conserving each barrel fold are shown in the upper panel. -- Biorxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Missing-link Fold Reveals The Evolutionary Pathway Between RNA Polymerase And Ribosomal Proteins

by Keith CowingJuly 30, 2023July 30, 2023

Numerous molecular machines are required to drive the central dogma of molecular biology. However, the means by which such numerous proteins emerged in the early evolutionary stage of life remains […]