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Ada Yonath’s pioneering research in the field of ribosome
crystallography has yielded crucial insights into protein
biosynthesis. Her recent work has revealed a novel task for
the flexible regions of the ribosomal RNA and proteins–the
creation of the interacting bridges between the two ribosomal
subunits within the assembled ribosome.
These insights are possible largely due to Yonath’s
structural research. This year she has determined the high-resolution
structures of the two ribosomal subunits from eubacteria.
The structure of the small subunit, and of its complexes with
initiator factor 3 and an antibiotic agent that targets the
initiation step (edeine), revealed the universal nature of
the initiation of protein biosynthesis–the step that
governs the selection of the correct frame to be translated.
Yonath’s structures provide a powerful tool for comparative
studies between bound and free ribosomal subunits, revealing
the principles of the creation of subunit bridges, the binding
and placement of tRNA, and the movement of the L1-arm to create
the exit-gate of the E-site tRNA.
All clinically relevant antibiotics are targeted against
eubacterial pathogens. In a very short time, Yonath’s
group has determined the structures of almost a dozen different
complexes with antibiotics that target the large ribosomal
subunit. As most antibiotics interact with the peptidyl transferase
center or hamper the path of the nascent protein chains, this
new work illuminates aspects of the catalytic activity of
the ribosome.
Born in Jerusalem, Yonath obtained B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees
at the Hebrew University and her Ph.D. at the Weizmann Institute,
Israel. After postdoctoral studies at Carnegie-Mellon and
MIT, she returned to the Weizmann Institute and initiated
the region’s only protein crystallography laboratory.
Recently, she was elected to membership in the Israeli Academy
for Science and Humanity. She leads two research groups, one
at the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg, Germany, and the other
at the Weizmann Institute, where she directs two scientific
centers.
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