The SSU Processome in Ribosome Biogenesis - Progress and Prospects.
March 07, 2011
Phipps KR, Charette JM, Baserga SJ.WIREs RNA. 2011 Jan;2(1):1-21.
The small subunit (SSU) processome is a 2.2 MDa ribonucleoprotein complex involved in the processing, assembly and maturation of the SSU of eukaryotic ribosomes. The identities of many of the factors involved in SSU biogenesis have been elucidated over the past 40 years. However, as our understanding increases, so do the number of questions about the nature of this complicated process. Cataloguing the components is the first step towards understanding the molecular workings of a system. This review will focus on how identifying components of ribosome biogenesis has led to the knowledge of how these factors, protein and RNA alike, associate with one another into sub-complexes, with a concentration on the small ribosomal subunit. We will also explore how this knowledge of sub-complex assembly has informed our understanding of the workings of the ribosome synthesis system as a whole.