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Chapter 30: Problem 10

Eukaryotic ribosomes are larger and more complex than prokaryotic ribosomes. What advantages and disadvantages might this greater ribosomal complexity bring to a eukaryotic cell?

Short Answer

Expert verified
A potential advantage of the larger and more complex eukaryotic ribosomes is the ability to more finely regulate protein synthesis, giving them control over which parts of genetic instructions are read and when. A potential disadvantage is that their synthesis requires more energy and resources of the cell and they synthesize proteins more slowly than prokaryotic ribosomes.

Step by step solution

01

Define Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Ribosomes

Eukaryotic ribosomes are the protein builders or the protein synthesizers of the cell. They are larger (80S) and more complex than prokaryotic ribosomes (70S). The complexity is due to the higher number of proteins and rRNAs in their structure. Prokaryotic ribosomes are present in prokaryotes, which are cells that lack a cell nucleus and other organelles.
02

Discuss Advantage of Eukaryotic Ribosomes

The larger size and complexity of eukaryotic ribosomes can actually be an advantage. The extra structural complexity allows for more finely tuned regulation of protein synthesis. The eukaryotic ribosomes can control which parts of the genetic instructions get read, when, and how often, with a level of nuanced control that prokaryotic ribosomes cannot achieve.
03

Discuss Disadvantage of Eukaryotic Ribosomes

An increased size and complexity also have their drawbacks. For instance, synthesis of these larger ribosomes requires more energy and resources of the cell. In addition, because of their size and complexity, these ribosomes are slower at synthesizing proteins than prokaryotic ribosomes.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Why do you suppose eukaryotic protein synthesis is only \(10 \%\) as fast as prokaryotic protein synthesis?

How do prokaryotic cells determine whether a particular methionyltRNA \(^{\text {Met }}\) is intended to initiate protein synthesis or to deliver a Met residue for internal incorporation into a polypeptide chain? How do the Met codons for these two different purposes differ? How do eukaryotic cells handle these problems?

What is the Shine-Dalgarno sequence? What does it do? The efficiency of protein synthesis initiation may vary by as much as 100 -fold for different mRNAs. How might the Shine-Dalgarno sequence be responsible for this difference?

What ideas can you suggest to explain why ribosomes invariably exist as two- subunit structures, instead of a larger, single-subunit entity?

Review the evidence establishing that aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases bridge the information gap between amino acids and codons. Indicate the various levels of specificity possessed by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that are essential for high-fidelity translation of messenger RNA molecules.
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