In-cell architecture of an active transcription-translation complex
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ABSTRACT: Structural biology performed inside cells can capture molecular machines in action within their native context. Here we develop an integrative in-cell structural approach using the genome-reduced human pathogen Mycoplasma pneumoniae. We combine whole-cell crosslinking mass spectrometry, cellular cryo-electron tomography, and integrative modeling to determine an in-cell architecture of a transcribing and translating expressome at sub-nanometer resolution. The expressome comprises RNA polymerase (RNAP), the ribosome, and the transcription elongation factors NusG and NusA. We pinpoint NusA at the interface between the ribosome and a NusG-bound elongating RNAP, and propose it could mediate transcription-translation coupling. Transcription inhibition stalls and rearranges the expressome, whereas translation inhibition dissociates it, demonstrating that the elongating expressome architecture requires active translation and transcription within the cell.
INSTRUMENT(S): Orbitrap Fusion Lumos
ORGANISM(S): Mycoplasma Pneumoniae (strain Atcc 29342 / M129)
SUBMITTER: Francis O'Reilly
LAB HEAD: Juri Rappsilber
PROVIDER: PXD017695 | Pride | 2020-07-30
REPOSITORIES: Pride
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