abstract
There is a paucity of knowledge on how mRNA transcripts in the spatially crowded, but molecularly
organized bacterial cytoplasm contact the 30S ribosomal subunits. Does simple diffusion in the cytoplasm
account for transcript-ribosome interactions given that a large number of ribosomes (e.g., about
72,000 in Escherichia coli during exponential growth) can be present in the cytoplasm? Or are undiscovered
mechanisms present where specific transcripts are directed to specific ribosomes at specific
cytoplasmic locations, while others are mobilized in a random manner? Moreover, is it possible that
cytoplasmic mobilization occurs in bacteria, driven possibly by thermal infrared (IR) radiation and the
generation of exclusion zone (EZ) water? These aspects will be discussed in this article and hypotheses
presented.