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Evidence for Specific Inhibition of Translocation of Aminoacyl-Transfer Ribonucleic Acid by the Pretreatment of Ribosomes of Bacillus subtilis with p-Chloromercuribenzoate

¹ Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

ABSTRACT

The biological activities of Bacillus subtilis ribosomes pretreated with 0.5, 1, or 2 mMp-chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB) were examined. The ribosomes treated with 1 or 2 mM PCMB lost their capacity to synthesize polyphenylalanine as well as the capacity to bind phenylalanyl-transfer ribonucleic acid. On the other hand, approximately 70% of the polyphenylalanine synthesis capacity was lost with ribosomes pretreated with 0.5 mM PCMB. This inhibition was found to be due to a specific inhibition of the translocation step. The effect of 0.5 mM PCMB was reversed by 20 mM Mg²⁺ without the loss of PCMB bound to ribosomes, while ß-mercaptoethanol partially reversed the inhibitory effect with concomitant loss of bound PCMB.