Structures of prokaryotic ribosomal proteins: implications for RNA binding and evolution

After along hiatus, the pace of determination of the structures of ribosomal proteins has accelerated dramatically. We discuss here the structures of five ribosomal proteins from Bacillus stearothermophilus: S5, S17, L6, L9, and L14. These structures represent several new motifs. Each of these structures has revealed new insights, and we have developed criteria for recognizing RNA-binding regions of each protein and correlating the structures with such properties as antibiotic resistance. The information here should also prove invaluable in an eventual high-resolution picture of the intact ribosome.Key words: ribosome, ribosomal proteins, ribosomal RNA, X-ray crystallography, NMR.