Gel electrophoretic studies on ribosomal proteins L7L12 and the Escherichia coli 50 s subunit

Three forms of the 50 S ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli have been separated by agarose/acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The slowest migrating form, S-50 S, corresponded to native 50 S subunits and contained four copies of proteins $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$. Removal of the four copies of this protein produced a more rapidly migrating form, M-50 S. The M-50 S form was then converted to the fastest migrating form, F-50 S, by removal of additional proteins, including L10 and L11. A one-step removal of a pentameric complex of four copies of $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ plus L10 converted the S-50 S subunit directly to the F-50 S subunit. These proteins recombined specifically with the appropriate protein-deficient 50 S subunit at 3 °C to reform the S-50 S subunit, i.e. the M-50 S subunit was converted back to the S-50 S form by the addition of purified proteins $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$; and the F-50 S subunit bound the pentameric complex of $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ and L10 to form S-50 S. The binding of the pentameric complex, isolated by glycerol gradient centrifugation, supports the model that all four copies of proteins $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ are together in one part of the ribosome called the “$\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ stalk”. Only the four copies of $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ were removed from the 50 S subunit in low salt (0.125 m-NH₄Cl) plus 50% ethanol at 0 °C. These ribosomes (in the M-50 S form) had less than 5% of the peptide-synthesizing activity of untreated control ribosomes as measured by a poly(U) translation system in vitro. Peptide-synthesizing activity was restored, upon addition of $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$, back to the treated ribosomes to give 50 S subunits (S-50 S) with a full complement of four copies of $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$. Antibody to proteins $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ bound only to the S-50 S subunits, producing four new bands separated by gel electrophoresis. The bands represented complexes of one, two, three and four antibodies bound to a 50 S subunit. This result was obtained using either 50 S subunits or 70 S tight couples and indicated that all four copies of $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ are either located at a single site in the $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ stalk or, much less likely, are divided between two symmetrical sites. Proteins $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$ were not only accessible to their specific antibody but could also be removed from 70 S ribosomes and polyribosomes without causing their dissociation into subunits. The ribosomes and polyribosomes had an increased gel electrophoretic mobility which was reversed by addition of proteins $\text{L}\text{7}\text{L}\text{12}$.