Structural Dynamics of Translation

X-ray crystal structure of
bacterial 70S ribosome

The Ermolenko laboratory studies mechanisms of protein synthesis. The ribosome is a central component of cell metabolism, an extremely complex and highly dynamic machine. Although basic principles of protein synthesis have been established, many critical mechanisms that control translation remain poorly understood. We investigate the modulation of ribosome structural dynamics by translation factors and antibiotics, programmed ribosome frameshifting, and the regulation of translation by mRNA structure. In our studies, we combine biochemical approaches, single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) microscopy, and genetics. Our research on protein synthesis in bacterial, yeast, and human cells spans the spectrum of science from in silico to in vivo.

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