Shape of the 50S subunit of Escherichia coli ribosomes.

Extrapolation of a series of low-angle neutron scattering curves to infinitely high contrast gives a scattering function IC(kappa) which is dependent on the shape of the solute molecule. For the 50S subunit of E. coli ribosomes, the first part of the structure determination by neutron scattering, namely the determination of the molecular shape from IC(kappa), is reported. The result is in good agreement with models of the 50S subunit determined by electron microscopy.