How the Shine–Dalgarno (SD) sequence affects binding of the ribosome to mRNA is examined by measuring the force required to tear the ribosome from an mRNA with or without the SD sequence. This finds that the SD sequence stabilizes the ribosome–mRNA interaction before the first peptide bond is formed, but that once this occurs, the SD sequence can no longer stabilize it.
- Sotaro Uemura
- Magdalena Dorywalska
- Steven Chu