Forces on nascent polypeptides during membrane insertion and translocation via the Sec translocon

During ribosomal translation, nascent polypeptide chains (NCs) undergo a variety of physical processes that determine their fate in the cell. This study utilizes a combination of arrest peptide (AP) experiments and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) to measure and elucidate the molecular origins of forces that are exerted on NCs during co-translational membrane insertion and translocation via the Sec translocon. The approach enables deconvolution of force contributions from NC-translocon and NC-ribosome interactions, membrane partitioning, and electrostatic coupling to the membrane potential.

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