| Type: | Domain | Name: | Small protein B |
| Description: | This entry represents SsrA-binding protein (aka small protein B or SmpB), which is a unique RNA-binding protein that is conserved throughout the bacterial kingdom and is an essential component of the SsrA quality-control system. Tight recognition of codon-anticodon pairings by the ribosome ensures the accuracy and fidelity of protein synthesis. In eubacteria, translational surveillance and ribosome rescue are performed by the 'tmRNA-SmpB' system (transfer messenger RNA-small protein B). SmpB binds specifically to the ssrA RNA (tmRNA) and is required for stable association of ssrA with ribosomes. SsrA RNA recognises ribosomes stalled on defective messages and acts to mediate the addition of a short peptide tag to the C terminus of the partially synthesised nascent polypeptide chain. Within a stalled ribosome, SmpB interacts with the three universally conserved bases G530, A1492 and A1493 that form the 30S subunit decoding centre, in which canonical codon-anticodon pairing occurs []. The SsrA-tagged protein is then degraded by C-terminal-specific proteases. Formation of an SmpB-SsrA complex appears to be critical in mediating SsrA activity after aminoacylation with alanine but prior to the transpeptidation reaction that couples this alanine to the nascent chain []. The SmpB protein has functional and structural similarities with initiation factor 1, and is proposed to be a functional mimic of the pairing between a codon and an anticodon. The core of SmpB consists of an antiparallel beta-barrel containing eight beta-strands and three helices []. | Short Name: | SmpB |
