All Ribosomes Are Created Equal. Really?

Abstract

Ribosomes are generally thought of as molecular machines with a constitutive rather than regulatory role during protein synthesis. A study by Slavov et al.[1] now shows that ribosomes of distinct composition and functionality exist within eukaryotic cells, giving credence to the concept of 'specialized' ribosomes.

Keywords: Molecular machine; mass spectrometry; post-transcriptional regulation; protein synthesis; ribosome.