Structure of the human 80S ribosome at 1.9 A resolution - the molecular role of chemical modifications and ions in RNA

The ribosomal RNA of the human protein synthesis machinery comprises numerous chemical modifications that are introduced during ribosome biogenesis. We present the 1.9 [A] resolution cryo-EM structure of the 80S human ribosome resolving numerous new rRNA modifications and functionally important ions such as Zn2+, K+ and Mg2+ including their associated individual water molecules. 2-O-methylation, pseudo-uridine and base modifications were confirmed by mass spectrometry resulting in a complete investigation of the > 230 sites many of which could not be addressed previously. They choreograph key interactions within the RNA and at the interface with proteins, including at the ribosomal subunit interfaces of the fully assembled 80S ribosome. Uridine isomerisation turns out to be a key mechanism for U-A base pair stabilisation in RNA in general. The structural environment of chemical modifications & ions is primordial for the RNA architecture of the mature human ribosome, hence providing a structural framework to address their role in healthy context and human diseases.