Cellular research

Phys.Org (Douglas, Isle of Man, Feb. 12) -- Ribosomes, the cellular machines that build proteins, are themselves made up of dozens of proteins and a few looping strands of RNA. A new study, reported in the journal Nature, offers new clues about how the ribosome, the master assembler of proteins, also assembles itself. “The ribosome has more than 50 different parts – it has the complexity of a sewing machine in terms of the number of parts,” said University of Illinois physics professor Taekjip Ha, who led the research with U. of I. chemistry professor Zaida Luthey-Schulten and Johns Hopkins University biophysics professor Sarah Woodson. “A sewing machine assembles other things but it cannot assemble itself if you have the parts lying around,” Ha said. “The ribosome, however, can do that. It’s quite amazing.” Also: Bioscience Technology (Feb. 13), ScienceBlog (Feb. 12), Red Orbit.com (Dallas, Feb. 13).