Final answer:
In E. coli, three initiation factors (IF-1, IF-2, and IF-3) are involved in chain initiation, several elongation factors, notably EF-Tu, EF-Ts, and EF-G, are required for elongation, and peptide releasing factors RF-1 and RF-2 are required for termination. Specifically, G proteins are not counted in the termination factors for E. coli, as they are commonly referred to as RFs.
Step-by-step explanation:
In E. coli, protein synthesis consists of three main stages: initiation, elongation, and termination. During the initiation stage, the process begins with the formation of an initiation complex that includes the small 30S ribosome subunit, the mRNA template, and three initiation factors (IFs), which are named IF-1, IF-2, and IF-3, along with a special initiator tRNA known as tRNAfMet that recognizes the start codon AUG (or occasionally GUG).
The elongation process in E. coli involves elongation factors which include EF-Tu, EF-Ts, and EF-G. These factors aid in the binding of aminoacyl-tRNAs, the translocation of the ribosome, and the formation of peptide bonds.
Finally, termination occurs when the ribosome encounters one of three stop codons in mRNA (UAA, UAG, UGA), and this process involves peptide releasing factors which include RF-1 (which recognizes UAA and UAG) and RF-2 (which recognizes UAA and UGA). Although referred to as G-proteins, in E. coli, termination factors are typically denoted as RFs rather than G proteins, and they are not counted as G proteins.