Cloning, sequencing, gene organization, and localization of the human ribosomal protein RPL23A gene.

The intron-containing gene for human ribosomal protein RPL23A has been cloned, sequenced, and localized. The gene is approximately 4.0 kb in length and contains five exons and four introns. All splice sites exactly match the AG/GT consensus rule. The transcript is about 0.6 kb and is detected in all tissues examined. In adult tissues, the RPL23A transcript is dramatically more abundant in pancreas, skeletal muscle, and heart, while much less abundant in kidney, brain, placenta, lung, and liver. A full-length cDNA clone of 576 nt was identified, and the nucleotide sequence was found to match the exon sequence precisely. The open reading frame encodes a polypeptide of 156 amino acids, which is absolutely conserved with the rat RPL23A protein. In the 5' flanking region of the gene, a canonical TATA sequence and a defined CAAT box were found for the first time in a mammalian ribosomal protein gene. The intron-containing RPL23A gene was mapped to cytogenetic band 17q11 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.