Ribosome

A cellular molecular complex that translates messenger RNA into proteins by joining amino acids in a specified sequence. It consists of ribosomal RNA and proteins arranged in small and large subunits.

Translation (biology): The cellular process that uses messenger RNA instructions to assemble a protein. Ribosomes are the molecular machinery that carries out translation.
Ribosomal RNA: RNA molecules that form the structural and catalytic core of ribosomes. Ribosomal RNA builds the subunits and performs key reactions in translation.
RNA world: A hypothesis that early life relied on RNA for both information storage and catalysis. Ribosomal RNA catalysis is consistent with an ancient role for RNA in life.
Antibiotic: A substance that kills bacteria or inhibits their growth, often by targeting bacterial processes. Many antibiotics act by disrupting bacterial ribosome function.
Bacterial ribosome: A ribosome found in bacteria, typically composed of 30S and 50S subunits. Its structure and drug-binding sites differ from those of cytosolic eukaryotic ribosomes.
Transfer RNA: An RNA molecule that carries an amino acid and pairs its anticodon with a messenger RNA codon. Transfer RNA matches each decoded codon to the amino acid added by the ribosome.
Ribosomal protein: A protein component of a ribosome that supports its structure and interactions with other molecules. Ribosomal proteins stabilize and organize the RNA-based complex.
Carl Woese: An American microbiologist who used ribosomal RNA comparisons to reveal Archaea as a distinct domain of life. His ribosomal RNA analyses transformed the classification of cellular life.
Aminoglycoside: A class of antibiotics that binds the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit and disrupts translation accuracy. Aminoglycosides show how selective ribosome binding can impair bacterial protein synthesis.
Eukaryotic cytosolic ribosome: A ribosome in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, typically composed of 40S and 60S subunits. Comparing it with bacterial ribosomes explains selective antibiotic toxicity.

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