The origins and early development of the translation machinery remain imprinted in the extant ribosome, which is the RNA-protein complex responsible for the synthesis of coded proteins in living organisms. The evolution of the ribosome, from before LUCA, can be traced in sequences, structure, assembly, and function. We are testing timelines for critical steps in the evolutionary history of the ribosome. To mine the information contained within the ribosome, we are developing new methods of molecular paleontology, that help guide us in recapitulating steps in the origin and early evolution of life. We are resurrecting assembly-competent models of ancestral ribosomes in silico, in vitro and in vivo. We use structure- and sequence-based comparisons of the Large Subunits (LSUs) of various species, along with synthetic biology, molecular biology and biophysical chemistry. Our goal is to deconstruct and reverse engineer the ribosome to understand its evolutionary development. Ribosomal Paleontology and Resurrection: Molecular Fossils from before Coded Protein

Ribosomal paleontology and resurrection: Molecular fossils from before coded protein

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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