Replacing a cassette of 31 residues from Escherichia coli release factor 1 with the equivalent residues in release factor 2 gave a protein active in codon-specific binding to the ribosome but inactive in peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis. Such a phenotype is also found unexpectedly with release factor 2 when expressed at high concentration in bacteria. Substituting threonine with the release factor 1 equivalent serine at position 246 within the cassette restored the impaired activity of the chimeric protein, and also that of inactive recombinant release factor 2, both in vitro and in vivo. The differences in activity are not due to posttranslational modifications or a lack of it at this residue. Random mutagenesis of codon 246 suggests that this position is pivotal for the function of the release factor, being able to affect differentially both its binding to the ribosome and its peptide release activities. We propose that amino acid 246 is close to a sharp turn (GGQ motif at position 250), and is essential for transmitting the signal from cognate codon recognition by correctly positioning the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis domain of the release factor into the peptidyltransferase center.

Experimental results are presented suggesting that 23S rRNA is directly involved in the peptide bond formation usually performed on the ribosome. Although several reports have indicated that the eubacterial peptidyltransferase reaction does not necessarily require all the ribosomal proteins, the reconstitution of peptidyltransferase activity by a naked 23S rRNA without the help of any of the ribosomal proteins has not been reported previously. It is demonstrated that an E. coli 23S rRNA transcript synthesized by T7 RNA polymerase in vitro was able to promote peptide bond formation in the presence of 0.5% SDS. The reaction was inhibited by the peptidyltransferase-specific antibiotics chloramphenicol and carbomycin, and by digestion with RNases A and T1. Site-directed mutageneses at two highly conserved regions close to the peptidyltransferase center ring, G2252 to U2252 and C2507G2581 to U2507A2581, also suppressed peptide bond formation. These findings strongly suggest that 23S rRNA is the peptidyltransferase itself.