A ribosome binding site (RBS) is a sequence on mRNA that is bound by the ribosome during protein translation. It can be either the 5' cap
of a mRNA in eukaryotes, a region 6-7 nucleotides upstream of the start codon AUG in prokaryotes (called the Shine-Dalgarno sequence), or
an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in viruses. Prokaryotic ribosomes recognize RBSs primarily via base-pairing between the RBS and an
unstructured end of the 16s rRNA molecule that forms part of the ribosome. Translation initiation rate of a particular mRNA can be regulated by
sequence of the RBS, leading to varying strengths - strong, medium or weak