Ribosomal Protein L39 (RPL39)

RPL39 encodes a ribosomal protein that is a component of the 60S subunit. The protein belongs to the S39E family of ribosomal proteins. It is located in the cytoplasm. In rat, the protein is the smallest, and one of the most basic, proteins of the ribosome. This gene is co-transcribed with the U69 small nucleolar RNA gene, which is located in its second intron. As is typical for genes encoding ribosomal proteins, there are multiple processed pseudogenes of this gene dispersed through the genome. The gene encodes a 51-amino acid polypeptide. Northern blotting revealed that the RPL39 transcript is ubiquitously expressed. Although the level of RPL39 mRNA varied in several cell lines, including carcinoma cell lines, its level was shown not to be cell cycle-dependent in fibroblasts.