Use of a single-molecule approach finds that translation by the ribosome occurs through a reiterative process of translocation and pausing. A single translocation event covers three nucleotides, in which three substeps are detected, and is rapid. The pauses, which are longer and whose length depends on the mRNA's secondary structure, are rate-determining and are composed of at least two processes.
- Jin-Der Wen
- Laura Lancaster
- Ignacio Tinoco