Dissociation of 70S ribosomes: some properties of the dissociating factor from Bacillus stearothermophilus and Escherichia coli.

A protein factor which produces in vitro dissociation of 70S particles into 30S and 50S subunits has been obtained from Bacillus stearothermophilus and Escherichia coli. The factor could be extracted from ribosomes, polyribosomes, and S100 supernatant. The kinetics and temperature curve of the dissociation process in the B. stearothermophilus system have been studied and compared with the reaction in the E. coli system. No species specificity was observed when hybrid mixtures of ribosomes and dissociating factor from both bacteria were used. The wide variations of dissociating activity in cells at different stages of growth and the capacity of the liberated subunits to carry out polypeptide synthesis suggest that the dissociating factor has a physiological role.