Neutron scattering techniques will be used to elucidate the structure and function of the ribosome of E. coli. The following objectives will be pursued: (1) completion of a map of the 30S ribosomal subunit placing all 21 proteins in three dimensions, (2) direct measurement of the in situ radii of the 30S ribosomal proteins, (3) determination of the relative placement of the two subunits in the 70S couple, (4) determination of the position of tRNA when it is ribosome-bound, and (5) exploration of the possibility of mapping the location of segments of RNA within the ribosome. These projects all relate to the goal of understanding how the ribosome is constructed and how it works. The ribosome's function, the catalysis of protein synthesis, is a central one in all cells, in all organisms. The particle's RNA-based activity is likely to be both novel enzymologically as well biologically important.
