Figure 7. Kinetic scheme of aminoglycoside-induced changes in tRNA dynamics.

This scheme describes the changes in the rates of transitions between the classical state, the hybrid 1 state and the hybrid 2 state following aminoglycoside binding to the ribosome complex. 50S (tan) and 30S (blue) subunits are shown, as well as the A-site tRNA (red) and the P-site tRNA (green). At low concentrations, aminoglycosides bind with high affinity to the primary h44 binding site. High concentrations of aminoglycosides can lead to binding at a low-affinity second binding site. Arrow lengths represent the rate of transition relative to the drug-free system, and the predominantly stabilized state is highlighted (pink box).