what is prokaryotic ribosome
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The prokaryotic ribosomes contain 3 RNA strands and 52 protein subunits which can be divided into 1 RNA and 21 proteins in the small ribosomal subunit (aka the 30S subunit) and 2 RNA and 31 proteins in the large ribosomal subunit (50S subunit). The small subunit locates the start site and moves along the RNA. The large ribosomal subunit contains the aminoacyl transferase enzyme activity that connects amino acids to make a protein. Neither subunit is sufficient to carry out translation by itself. They must come together to form the full 70S ribosome for translation to occur. If you aren’t already familiar with the nomenclature, you’re probably thinking that it’s obvious why I went into biology rather than math. My competence at basic computation aside, there is a method to the madness. The “S” in 30S or 50S indicates Svedberg units, or a measurement of the sedimentation rate when the molecules in question are centrifuged under standard conditions. Because the rate of sedimentation depends on both the mass and the shape of a molecule, numbers do not always add up.
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