Mechanism of translocation. Binding equilibria between the ribosome, mRNA analogues, and cognate tRNAs.

The translocation of the mRNA in relation to the ribosome during peptide synthesis represents an example for a mechanochemical reaction in which the chemical bond energy of GTP is transformed into coordinated motion. We demonstrate here that translocation can be explained simply by binding equilibria between the tRNA, the mRNA, and their binding sites on the ribosome. The presence of two cognate tRNAs shifts the association constant for the 70 S ribosome . AUGU3 complex from 6.8 x 10(5) to 2.2 x 10(8) M-1. The elongation factor G and GTP or guanosine-5'-(beta,gamma-methylene)triphosphate GMP-PCP) displace the methionine tRNAs which can be formylated (tRNAfMet) from the quaternary complex 70 S . AUGU3 . tRNAfMet . tRNAPhe. Only the ternary complex Phe-tRNAPhe . elongation factor Tu . GMP-PCP shows an absolute preference for the aminoacyl-tRNA binding site (A site) (K a = 6.6 x 10(6) M-1). AcPhe-tRNAPhe, (N alpha-acetylphenylalanyl-tRNA) an analogue of a peptidyl-tRNA exhibits a 20-fold higher affinity to the peptidyl-tRNA binding site (P site) (K a = 3.5 x 10(6) M-1) as against the A site (K a = 1.8 x 10(6) M-1) at 8 mM Mg2+. Compared to aminoacyl-tRNA and tRNA, peptidyl-tRNA shows a 3- to 15-fold higher affinity toward complementary oligonucleotides both in the binary complex and in the presence of 70 S ribosomes (UUCA . AcPhe-tRNAPhe: K a = 1.9 x 10(5) M-1), UUCA . tRNAPhe:K a = 3.2 x 10(4) M-1). This indicates a stabilization of the peptidyl-tRNA . mRNA complex during translocation. Our data support a concept of mRNA translocation in which the removal of the deacylated tRNA from the P site requires GTP energy and a peptidyl-tRNA . mRNA complex diffuses from its low affinity site (A) to its high affinity binding site (P).