RibosomeRibosomes are the workbenches where proteins get manufactured. A ribosomes is a large molecular complex (organelle), composed of several proteins and ribonucleic acid that reads messenger RNA and thereby synthesizes proteins. All cells, including Archaea and Bacteria, have ribosomes.
Ribosomes are organelles, or distinct parts of the cell with specific jobs, that are composed of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and ribosomal proteins. Ribosomes are one of several types of ribozymes, RNA molecules that catalyze a chemical reaction.
Free ribosomes float freely in the cell cytoplasm; membrane-bound ribosomes bind to the endoplasmic reticulum or the nuclear membrane. Ribosomes are critical for the creation of polypeptide chains, or proteins, from mRNA.
Ribosomes are composed of one or two very large rRNA molecules and many smaller protein molecules. The smaller proteins probably act as building blocks to create polypeptides using the rRNA as a scaffold.
The chemical structure of ribosomes found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are very similar, which means that ribosomes are probably among the earliest and most stable of cellular structures. However, a small difference between the ribosomes of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells makes prokaryotic cell ribosomes vulnerable to antibiotics. Pharmaceutical companies take advantage of this difference when they develop drugs to treat bacterial infections without harming the host organism's cells.
Web Resources On Ribosome
Various Facts About Ribosomes
Ribosomes on Film
Book Resources On RibosomeThe Ribosome: Structure, Function, Antibiotics, and Cellular Interactions by Roger Garrett et al
Protein Synthesis and Ribosome Structure : Translating the Genome by Nierhaus & Wilson
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