Electron microscopic localization of two proteins on the surface of the 50 S ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli using specific antibody markers

A method to localize individual proteins on the surface of the ribosomal subunit was developed. The method uses specific immunoglobulins G against proteins under examination. The antibodies are combined with the ribosomes to give rise to ribosome dimers linked by the bivalent antibody. The Fab arm of the Y shaped antibody points to the position of the protein the antibody was prepared against.Using this method, two ribosomal proteins (L1, L19)³were located on two defined shapes of the 50 S ribosomal subunit.