Ultraviolet irradiation (254 nm) of the complexes of MS2 phage RNA (mRNA) and the 30-S subunits of E.sclzeviclzia coli ribosomes prepared at 0 'C and 37 'C in the presence and absence of initiation factor 3 (IF-3) causes cross-linking of mRNA with proteins S3, S4, S5, S7, S9, S18 and IF-3. Hence, these proteins interact directly with mRNA within the complex 30-S-subunit . mRNA.Addition of IF-3 results in an increase of the rate of complex formation and decrease of its dissociation rate. The addition of IF-3 changes the relative amounts of cross-linked proteins (mainly S3, S4 and S18).Decreasing the temperature from 37 'C to 0 "C not only decelerates the complex formation rate but also changes the relative amount of cross-linked proteins, indicating the influence of the conditions on the structure of the complex.It is well known that prokaryotic messenger RNAs are polycistronic and initiation can take place at the internal sites of the RNA [I]. The selection of initiation sites in messenger RNA depends on RNA conformation ; therefore unfolding of RNA allows the ribosome to interact with additional AUG codons [2,3]. On the other hand, the specificity of initiation is determined by the ribosome itself. For instance, ribosomes of Bacillus stearothermophilus translate predominantly the A protein on RNAs of phages R17 and f 2 [2,4]
, whereasEscherichia coli ribosomes translate the coat protein on the same messengers [2].Up to now, the only known molecular interactions involved in initiation complex formation are Shine-Dalgarno interactions, i.e. the complementary binding of the nucleotide sequence near the 3' end of 16-S rRNA and the region in messenger RNA 5'-distal to the initiation codon [S]. However, it has been shown that E. coli ribosomes are able to translate messenger RNAs which do not contain the ShineDalgarno sequence [6]. At the same time eukaryotic ribosomes which possess no polypyrimidine sequence near the 3' end of 1 6 3 RNA [7] also translate RNA from phages giving rise to the same proteins as E. coli ribosomes [8-101. That implies that the initiation complex stabilisation leading to specific interaction between ribosones and messenger RNA depends on a multiplicity of interactions between the respective sites of mRNA and ribosomal components, the relative role of which can change depending on the ribosome and cistron structure. Therefore the structural study of messenger RNA and ribosomal components involved in initiation complex formation is a prerequisite for understanding the principles of initiation.
~~Abhreviarions. Poly(U), poly(uridy1ic acid); poly(s4U), poly(4-thiouridylic acid); IF-3, initiation factor 3 ; rRNA, ribosomal R N A ; 3 0 s . MS2 RNA, complex between 3 0 3 subunits and MS2 RNA; 3 0 3 IF3 . MS2 RNA, complex containing 30-S subunits, IF-3 and MS2 RNA.En;-vmrs. RNase A (EC 3.1.27.5); RNase TI (EC 3.1.27.3); alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1); polynucleotide kinase (EC 2.7.1.78).
30-S subunits of E. coli ribosomes form complexes withRNAs from phages in the absence of initiator tRNA [I 1 ...