Mitochondrial Ribosomal Protein S27 (MRPS27)

Mitochondria have their own translation system for production of 13 inner membrane proteins essential for oxidative phosphorylation. MRPS27 is a component of the small subunit of the mitochondrial ribosome that is encoded by the nuclear genome.

The cDNA contains an Alu sequence, and the deduced protein contains 415 amino acids. Northern blot analysis detected expression in all tissues and cell lines examined, with highest levels in heart and skeletal muscle.The deduced 414-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 47.7 kD. Removal of a predicted 36-amino acid N-terminal mitochondrial localization signal results in a mature 43.8-kD protein.Mouse and human MRPS27 share 77.1% amino acid identity.