A rapid, facile, and economical method for the isolation of ribosomes and translational machinery for structural and functional studies
Authors: Erath Jessey , Kemper Danielle , Mugo Elisha , Jacoby Alex , Valenzuela Elizabeth , Jungers Courtney F. , Beatty Wandy L. , Hashem Yaser , Jovanovic Marko , Djuranovic Sergej , Djuranovic Slavica Pavlovic 
Published: October 2024

Short abstract

Ribosomes are essential RNA-protein complexes involved in protein synthesis and quality control. Traditional methods for ribosome isolation are labor intensive, expensive, and require substantial biological material. In contrast, our new method, RAPPL (RNA Affinity Purification using Poly-Lysine), offers a rapid, simple, and cost-effective alternative. This method enriches ribosomes and associated factors from various species and sample types, including cell lysates, whole cells, organs, and whole organisms, and is compatible with traditional isolation techniques. Here, we use RAPPL to facilitate the rapid isolation, functional screening, and structural analysis of ribosomes with associated factors. We demonstrate ribosome-associated resistance mechanisms from patient uropathogenic Escherichia colisamples and generate a 2.7Å cryoEM structure of ribosomes fromCryptococcus neoformans. By significantly reducing the amount of the starting biological material and the time required for isolation, the RAPPL approach improves the study of ribosomal function, interactions, and antibiotic resistance, providing a versatile platform for academic, clinical, and industrial research on ribosomes.

Long abstract

Ribosomes are macromolecular RNA-protein complexes that constitute the central machinery responsible for protein synthesis and quality control in the cell. Ribosomes also serve as a hub for multiple non-ribosomal proteins and RNAs that control protein synthesis. However, the purification of ribosomes and associated factors for functional and structural studies requires a large amount of starting biological material and a tedious workflow. Current methods are challenging as they combine ultracentrifugation, the use of sucrose cushions or gradients, expensive equipment, and multiple hours to days of work. Here, we present a rapid, facile, and cost-effective method to isolate ribosomes fromin vivoorin vitrosamples for functional and structural studies using single-step enrichment on magnetic beads – RAPPL (RNA Affinity Purification using Poly-Lysine). Using mass spectrometry and western blot analyses, we show that poly-lysine coated beads incubated withE. coliand HEK-293 cell lysates enrich specifically for ribosomes and ribosome-associated factors. We demonstrate the ability of RAPPL to isolate ribosomes and translation-associated factors from limited material quantities, as well as a wide variety of biological samples: cell lysates, cells, organs, and whole organisms. Using RAPPL, we characterized and visualized the different effects of various drugs and translation inhibitors on protein synthesis. Our method is compatible with traditional ribosome isolation. It can be used to purify specific complexes from fractions of sucrose gradients or in tandem affinity purifications for ribosome-associated factors. Ribosomes isolated using RAPPL are functionally active and can be used for rapid screening andin vitrocharacterization of ribosome antibiotic resistance. Lastly, we demonstrate the structural applications of RAPPL by purifying and solving the 2.7Å cryo-EM structure of ribosomes from theCryptococcus neoformans, an encapsulated yeast causing cryptococcosis. Ribosomes and translational machinery purified with this method are suitable for subsequent functional or structural analyses and provide a solid foundation for researchers to carry out further applications – academic, clinical, or industrial – on ribosomes.