Sensitivity of ribosomes from Agrobacterium tumefaciens to the ribosome-inactivating protein crotin 2 depending on the translocational state.
The GTP analog guanylylmethylene diphosphonate (GppCH2p) strongly inhibited polyuridylic acid-directed polypeptide synthesis in a cell-free translation system prepared from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Fusidic acid increased even further the inhibitory action. The pre-translocational ribosomal complexes formed with the GppCH2p and the elongation factor G protected the ribosome against the depurinating action of crotin 2 assayed as the acid-dependent release of the RNA fragment whose terminal sequence is 5'-GAGGACCGGGAUGGAC-3'. The results allowed to conclude that the interaction of both crotin 2 and the elongation factor G with the A. tumefaciens ribosomes in the pre-translocational state must take place at overlapping, either sterically or allosterically, ribosomal sites which are equally accessible to the RIP.