Challenging the three-dimensional structure of ribosomes.

A prerequisite for understanding the detailed mechanism of the intricate process of protein biosynthesis is the determination of the molecular structure of ribosomes. This may be obtained by crystallographic analysis. Although such studies, in general, provide static pictures, they do indicate how to design subsequent functional and dynamic experiments. Thus, investigating models obtained by three-dimensional image reconstruction have stimulated further biochemical as well as crystallographic studies.