Cotranslational folding--omnia mea mecum porto?

Evidence for cotranslational folding on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosomes is reviewed. Molecular chaperones appear to assist only a small fraction of newly synthesized proteins in folding into their native conformation. The recently published crystal structure of the large ribosomal subunit at 2.5 A resolution has provided the basis for understanding where and how peptide synthesis takes place on the ribosome. The nascent peptide is concluded to pass through a tunnel that extends about 100 A between the peptidyl transferase center and its exit site. The minimum diameter of the tunnel and the apparent physical and chemical properties of its walls appear to preclude complex folding of the nascent peptide within most of the length of the tunnel. However, results indicate that nascent peptides that are protected within the ribosomes vary in length from about 30 to 72 amino acid residues. This suggests that nascent peptides have different conformations. It is hypothesized that folding of the nascent polypeptide into its native conformation starts in the distal portion of the tunnel, and proceeds at the surface of the ribosomal subunit in a depression or bay near the exit opening of the tunnel.