Biology:Eukaryotic elongation factors

Eukaryotic elongation factors are very similar to those in prokaryotes.

Elongation in eukaryotes is carried out with two elongation factors: eEF-1 and eEF-2.

• The first is eEF-1, and has two subunits, α and βγ. α acts as counterpart to prokaryotic EF-Tu, mediating the entry of the aminoacyl tRNA into a free site of the ribosome. βγ acts as counterpart to prokaryotic EF-Ts, serving as the guanine nucleotide exchange factor for α, catalyzing the release of GDP from α.
• The second elongation factor is eEF-2, the counterpart to prokaryotic EF-G, catalyzing the translocation of the tRNA and mRNA down the ribosome at the end of each round of polypeptide elongation.

External links

• nobelprize.org Explaining the function of eukaryotic elongation factors