Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A structure composed of RNA and protein, present in large numbers in the cytoplasm of living cells and serving as the site for assembly of polypeptides encoded by messenger RNA.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun biology Small organelles found in all cells; involved in the production of proteins by translating messenger RNA.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an organelle in the cytoplasm of a living cell; they attach to mRNA and move down it one codon at a time and then stop until tRNA brings the required amino acid; when it reaches a stop codon it falls apart and releases the completed protein molecule for use by the cell

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[ribo(nucleic acid) + –some.]

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Examples

  • The active site consists of RNA (white strands), not protein (orange), supporting the conclusion that the ribosome is a ribozyme.

    Exploring the New RNA World 2004

  • In all, a ribosome is built from hundreds of thousands of atoms.

    The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009 - Illustrated Presentation 2009

  • As the target of 50% of known antibiotics, the bacterial ribosome is a structure of major therapeutic importance.

    The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009 - Speed Read 2009

  • The ribosome is a machine that gets instructions from the genetic code and operates chemically in order to produce the product.

    Ada E. Yonath - Interview 2009

  • [AY] The ribosome is so important that it is a target for many antibiotics.

    Ada E. Yonath - Interview 2009

  • This provides the most direct evidence yet that the ribosome is indeed a ribozyme, an RNA catalyst.

    Exploring the New RNA World 2004

  • Other structures showed how the ribosome is inhibited by antibiotics, how it promotes the interaction of mRNA with transfer RNAs, and how the whole assembly is organized

    Exploring the New RNA World 2004

  • The ribosome is an unusual catalyst, composed of three RNA molecules (four in some species) as well as dozens of proteins.

    Exploring the New RNA World 2004

  • Harvard scientists have created a biological machine in the lab that manufactures proteins, mimicking the activity of a cellular structure, called a ribosome, that is critical for life.

    Boston.com Most Popular 2009

  • PacBio's machine has also allowed Stanford researchers to watch the structure in cells, called a ribosome, which makes proteins from DNA code.

    The New, Fast Gene Machine 2009

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