= Shijie Huang
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<Shijie Huang> is the first author of a 2020 study testing why <5S ribosomal RNA> is normally an independent molecule within the <ribosome>. The researchers engineered a covalent fusion of rearranged 5S RNA with 23S RNA and produced bacterial cells without free 5S RNA.<Ribosome engineering reveals the importance of 5S rRNA autonomy for ribosome assembly by Shijie Huang and others>[Abstract and fusion design, Figure 1]{ref}
The engineered cells remained viable under the tested standard conditions, and their fully assembled ribosomes could perform <translation>. However, they accumulated malformed large subunits that failed to form stable complete ribosomes. <Cryo-electron microscopy> revealed defects near the <peptidyl transferase center> in these misassembled particles.<Ribosome engineering reveals the importance of 5S rRNA autonomy for ribosome assembly by Shijie Huang and others>[Assembly and cryo-EM results, Figures 3 and 6–7]{ref}
This separates two questions: whether an altered ribosome can function once assembled, and whether it assembles efficiently. The results support an assembly-related reason for preserving an independent 5S RNA. Viability in one laboratory condition does not establish that the fusion would be equally successful across environments or evolutionary timescales.
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