# Assembly of E. coli ribosomes in vitro and in cells

> **NIH NIH R01** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 2020 · $489,555

## Abstract

Abstract
The overall goal of this project is to understand the process of ribosome assembly in bacterial
cells. The ribosome is the molecular machine that is responsible for protein synthesis in all
cells, and biosynthesis of ribosomes is a fundamentally important aspect of cell physiology. We
are taking a broadly based biophysical approach to probe the mechanism of ribosome assembly
both in cells, and in vitro. Key questions to be addressed include understanding the RNA
folding events that underlie the assembly process, understanding the role of assembly
cofactors, and understanding the role of co-transcriptional assembly. Approaches to be applied
to these questions include quantitative mass spectrometry to analyze the composition of
assembly intermediates, cryo-electron microscopy to understand the structures of the assembly
intermediates, and single molecule fluorescence methods to understand the dynamics of
assembly intermediates. Data from these diverse approaches will be synthesized into a
dynamic model for the process of how a ribosome is assembled in cells.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9873963
- **Project number:** 5R01GM053757-25
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** James R Williamson
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $489,555
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1996-02-01 → 2021-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9873963

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9873963, Assembly of E. coli ribosomes in vitro and in cells (5R01GM053757-25). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9873963. Licensed CC0.

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