Sequence of steps in ribosome recycling as defined by kinetic analysis.

After termination of protein synthesis in bacteria, ribosomes are recycled from posttermination complexes by the combined action of elongation factor G (EF-G), ribosome recycling factor (RRF), and initiation factor 3 (IF3). The functions of the factors and the sequence in which ribosomal subunits, tRNA, and mRNA are released from posttermination complexes are unclear and, in part, controversial. Here, we study the reaction by rapid kinetics monitoring fluorescence. We show that RRF and EF-G with GTP, but not with GDPNP, promote the dissociation of 50S subunits from the posttermination complex without involving translocation or a translocation-like event. IF3 does not affect subunit dissociation but prevents reassociation, thereby masking the dissociating effect of EF-G-RRF under certain experimental conditions. IF3 is required for the subsequent ejection of tRNA and mRNA from the small subunit. The latter step is slower than subunit dissociation and constitutes the rate-limiting step of ribosome recycling.