Mitochondrial Ribosomal Protein S16 (MRPS16)

Mitochondrial ribosomes are composed of small (28S) and large (39S) subunits. MRPS16 is a component of the small subunit, which contains a 12S rRNA (MTRNR1) and about 30 proteins. In mitochondrial ribosomes, the RNA molecules are transcribed from the mitochondrial DNA, but the ribosomal proteins, such as MRPS16, are encoded by the nuclear genome. The deduced 137-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 15.3 kD. Following cleavage of the N-terminal 34-amino acid mitochondrial import signal, the mature protein has a calculated molecular mass of 11.5 kD. MRPS16 homologs were identified in mouse, Drosophila, C. elegans, yeast, and E. coli genomes. Mouse and human MRPS16 share 91.1% amino acid identity.