Analysis of Yeast Mitochondrial Ribosome Assembly and Membrane Association

线粒体核糖体合成一小部分但功能重要的蛋白质。虽然在进化上与细菌核糖体有关，但线粒体核糖体与它们的原核对应物在机制和组成上存在一些差异。线粒体核糖体完全是膜锚定的，而在细菌中，核糖体在可溶性群体和膜锚定群体之间循环。线粒体核糖体显示出更高的蛋白质：rRNA含量，这主要归因于(i)除了细菌同源结构域外，许多核糖体蛋白上存在“有丝分裂特异性”延伸，以及（ii）存在新的线粒体特异性核糖体蛋白。线粒体特异性核糖体蛋白/结构域在确保核糖体的组装和活性被束缚在膜上的作用在很大程度上尚未被探索，这是本研究的长期目标。线粒体核糖体组装和调控机制的阐明对蛋白质翻译系统的基本细胞问题具有重要意义，并将解决线粒体核糖体如何从其原核祖先在组成和功能上进化。该研究项目将直接解决线粒体如何协调其翻译活性与氧化磷酸化系统的生物发生，这一过程需要将核基因编码的蛋白质与线粒体基因产物结合起来。更广泛的影响这个项目的主要目标是继续为马凯特大学的本科生和研究生提供创新和变革性的研究机会。这些研究活动将为学生提供分子生物学、遗传学、生物化学和细胞生物学等方面的培训平台。本科生通过与研究生一起工作，将成为密切的科学研究和指导社区的积极成员。学生还将被鼓励在国家研究会议上展示他们的工作并发表他们的发现，这些目标也将磨练他们的科学写作和沟通技巧。通过让学生在他们的本科任期早期接触到基于探究的生物学研究的兴奋，希望增加学生毕业后选择科研事业的人数。最后，让学生在密切指导的研究环境中接触创新研究，将有助于提高他们对当今社会科学发现和严谨性的重要性的参与、意识和欣赏。

INTELLECTUAL MERITMitochondrial ribosomes synthesize a small, but functionally important subset of proteins. Although evolutionarily related to bacterial ribosomes, mitochondrial ribosomes display some mechanistic and compositional differences from their prokaryotic counterparts. Mitochondrial ribosomes are entirely membrane-anchored, whereas in bacteria the ribosomes cycle between soluble and membrane-anchored populations. The mitochondrial ribosomes display a higher protein:rRNA content and this is largely attributed to (i) the presence of "mitospecific" extensions on many ribosomal proteins in addition to their bacterial homology domains, and (ii) the presence of novel mitochondrial-specific ribosomal proteins. The role of the mitochondrial-specific ribosomal proteins/domains in ensuring that the assembly and activity of the ribosomes is tethered to the membrane is largely unexplored and represents a long-term goal of this research. The elucidation of mechanisms of mitochondrial ribosome assembly and regulation have important implications for the fundamental cellular questions concerning protein translation systems and will address how mitochondrial ribosomes have evolved in composition and function from their prokaryotic ancestors. This research project will directly address how the mitochondrion coordinates its translational activity with the biogenesis of the oxidative phosphorylation system, a process which requires the uniting of proteins encoded by nuclear genes with the mitochondrial gene products. BROADER IMPACTSA major objective of this project is to continue to provide innovative and transformative research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students at Marquette University. The proposed research activities will provide a training platform for student researchers in many aspects of molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry and cell biology. Undergraduate students, by working alongside graduate students, will become active members of a close scientific research and mentoring community. Students will also be encouraged to present their work at national research meetings and to publish their findings, goals which will also hone their scientific writing and communication skills. By exposing students to the excitement of inquiry-based biological research early during their undergraduate tenure, it is hoped to increase the number of students electing scientific research careers following graduation. Finally, exposing students to innovative research in closely mentored research environment will be instrumental for increasing their engagement, awareness, and appreciation for the importance of scientific discovery and rigor in society today.