Cryo-EM structure of the ribosome functional complex of the human pathogenStaphylococcus aureusat 3.2 Å resolution

Staphylococcus aureusis a bacterial pathogen and one of the leading causes of healthcare-acquired infections in the world. The growing antibiotic resistance ofS. aureusobliges us to search for new drugs and treatments. As the majority of antibiotics target the ribosome, knowledge of its detailed structure is crucial for drug development. Here, we report the cryo-EM reconstruction at 3.2 angstrom resolution of theS. aureusribosome with P-site tRNA, messenger RNA, and 10 RNA modification sites previously not assigned or visualized. The resulting model is the most precise and complete high-resolution structure to date of theS. aureus70S ribosome with functional ligands.