Migration of 40 S ribosomal subunits on messenger RNA in the presence of edeine

Abstract

The antibiotic edenine induces binding of multiple 40 S ribosomes to reovirus messenger RNAs, producing complexes that sediment rapidly in glycerol gradients. Rapidly sedimenting complexes were also obtained with tobacco mosaic virus RNA and rabbit globin mRNA in the presence of edeine. Following ribonuclease digestion of the heavy complexes, nuclease-resistant 32P-labeled reovirus fragments protected by 40 S ribosomes in the presence of edeine were recovered and fingerprinted. The sequence complexity of the protected material supports the interpretation that 40 S subunits are distributed at many internal sites in each messenger RNA. Additional experiments indicate that binding of the multiple 40 S subunits occurs from a single "entry site" which involves the 5' terminus of the message. This, in turn, implies that in the presence of edeine 40 S ribosomes are able to move along the mRNA chain, attaching initially near the 5' end, then advancing to make room for the next subunit. We suggest that in the absence of antibiotics, also, a 40 S ribosome might bind near the 5' terminus and then advance, stopping where it encounters the first AUG triplet. The effect of edeine might be to interfere with the AUG recognition process, thus allowing the 40 S ribosome to continue unhalted along the message. The present experiments with edeine provide the first direct evidence that 40 S ribosomal subunits are capable of moving along the mRNA chain.