Structural studies of ribosome complexes with bound tRNAs and release factors show considerable contacts between these factors and helix 69 (H69) of 23 S rRNA. Although biochemical and genetic studies have provided some general insights into the role of H69 in tRNA and RF selection, a detailed understanding of these contributions remains elusive. Here, we present a presteady-state kinetic analysis establishing that two distinct regions of H69 make critical contributions to substrate selection. The loop of H69 (A1913) forms contacts necessary for the efficient accommodation of a subset of natural tRNA species, whereas the base of the stem (G1922) is specifically critical for UGA codon recognition by the class 1 release factor RF2. These data define a broad and critical role for this centrally located intersubunit helix (H69) in accurate and efficient substrate recognition by the ribosome.The ribosome is the ribonucleoprotein machine responsible for the faithful translation of the genetic material into the encoded polypeptide. The core RNA components of the ribosome (the 16 S and 23 S rRNA) that reflect its earliest evolution play a key role in interactions that specify the selection of tRNAs and release factors on recognition of sense and stop codons, respectively. During translation elongation, the selection of a cognate ternary complex (composed of aa-tRNA, EFTu, and GTP) from solution is specified primarily in the small ribosomal subunit where three nucleotides in 16 S rRNA directly evaluate the geometry of the codon-anticodon interaction (1). Though different in molecular detail, the selection of class 1 release factors takes place in the same decoding center of the small ribosomal subunit where conserved protein features of the RF engage the stop codon. Thus, for both decoding events, molecular interactions in the small subunit "decoding center" are early and critical contributors to the selection of cognate substrates during the translational cycle.In addition to these interactions in the decoding center, it is believed that other molecular interactions between the ribosome and these substrates contribute to binding and specificity. Structural studies of tRNA (2-5), release factors (6 -8), and ribosome recycling factor (9, 10) bound to the ribosome reveal that H69 2 of the large subunit rRNA makes extensive contacts with all of these factors. This universally conserved helix forms an intersubunit bridge that is proximal to the substrate binding cleft and directly contacts the functionally critical h44 of 16 S rRNA which contains two of the three nucleotides known to directly interact with the decoding helix (codon-anticodon) during tRNA selection (A1492 and A1493).What is the specific nature of these molecular interactions, and what do they suggest about the role of H69 in ribosome function? H69 contacts incoming tRNA in both the pre-and postaccommodation steps near positions 25/26 of the D stem and position 38, located near the anticodon stem; tRNA mutations at these positions are linked to miscoding pheno...