Ribosomal expansion segment contributes to translation fidelity via N-terminal processing of ribosomal proteins

Eukaryotic ribosomes exhibit higher mRNA translation fidelity than prokaryotic ribosomes, partly due to eukaryote-specific ribosomal RNA (rRNA) insertions. Among these, expansion segment 27L (ES27L) on the 60S subunit enhances fidelity by anchoring methionine aminopeptidase (MetAP) at the nascent protein exit tunnel, accelerating co-translational N-terminal initiator methionine (iMet) processing. However, the mechanisms by which iMet processing influences translation fidelity remain unknown. Using yeast in vitro translation (IVT) systems, we found that inhibiting co-translational iMet processing does not impact ribosome decoding of ongoing peptide synthesis. Instead, our novel method to monitor iMet processing in vivo revealed that ribosomes purified from strains lacking MetAP ribosomal association (ES27L Δb1-4) or major yeast MetAP (Δmap1) increase iMet retention on ribosomal proteins (RPs). Given the densely packed structure of ribosomes, iMet retention on RPs may distort ribosomal structure and impair its function. Indeed, reconstituted IVT systems containing iMet-retaining ribosome subunits from ES27L Δb1-4 strain, combined with translation factors from wild-type strains, elucidated that iMet retention on the 40S ribosomal subunit causes translation errors. Our study demonstrated the critical role of ES27L in adjusting ribosome association of universally conserved MetAP enzyme to fine-tune iMet processing of key RPs, thereby ensuring the structural integrity and functional accuracy of eukaryotic ribosomes.