Characterization of the expressed gene and several processed pseudogenes for the mouse ribosomal protein L30 gene family.

Five cloned genes encoding the mouse ribosomal protein L30 were isolated from a recombinant DNA library and characterized by restriction mapping and nucleotide sequence analysis. Only one of these genes has introns and is expressed; the others are inactive processed pseudogenes. The expressed gene consists of five exons and four introns spanning 2,723 nucleotides. Transcripts of this gene are processed into the mature L30 mRNA by pathways that exhibit both constraints and flexibility with regard to the order of intron excision. The L30 mRNA which is 457 to 468 nucleotides in length excluding the polyadenylic acid tail, exhibits some microheterogeneity at its 3' end and encodes a basic protein of 115 amino acids. The 5' portion of the rpL30 gene has some novel features which are remarkably similar to the previously characterized mouse rpL32 gene. These include homologous sequences in the -60 to -340 region, the absence of a good TATA consensus sequence, and the presence of a palindromic pyrimidine sequence that spans the cap site.