Purification, identification, and functional analysis of polysomes from the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus.

Polysomes are macromolecular complexes made up of multiple ribosomes simultaneously translating a single mRNA into polypeptide chains. Together, the cellular mRNAs translated in this way are referred to 'translatome.' Translation determines a cell's overall gene expression profile. Studying translatome leads to a better understanding of the translational machinery and of its complex regulatory pathways. Given its fundamental role in cell homeostasis and division, bacterial translation is an important target for antibiotics. However, there are no detailed protocols for polysome purification from Staphylococcus aureus, the human pathogen responsible for the majority of multi-drug resistance issues. We therefore developed methods for the isolation of active polysomes, ribosomes, and ribosomal subunits, examining the purity and quality of each fraction and monitoring polysomal activity during protein synthesis. These steps are mandatory for the use of purified S. aureus polysomes and ribosomes for structural studies or for genome-scale analysis of most translated mRNAs.