Do bound polysomes making a particular secretory protein have a consistent shape?
If the shape of bound polysomes was random, one would expect to see all possible shape permutations with equal frequency. Actually, a relatively small number of forms are seen, especially circles, spirals and hairpins. Does the bound polysome for a particular protein have a consistent shape? This can be tested by studying bound polysome shape in cells that make large quantities of a particular secretory protein. In these cells, the great majority of polysomes seen on the RER would be polysomes for that protein. Examples of this are shown in the references for the cell types listed in the table below. The results indicate a consistent shape for these polysomes.
