Mammalian mitochondrial ribosomal proteins are encoded by
nuclear genes and help in protein synthesis within the
mitochondrion. Mitochondrial ribosomes (mitoribosomes) consist of a
small 28S subunit and a large 39S subunit. They have an estimated
75% protein to rRNA composition compared to prokaryotic ribosomes,
where this ratio is reversed. Another difference between mammalian
mitoribosomes and prokaryotic ribosomes is that the latter contain
a 5S rRNA. Among different species, the proteins comprising the
mitoribosome differ greatly in sequence, and sometimes in
biochemical properties, which prevents easy recognition by sequence
homology. The 28S subunit of the mammalian mitoribosome may play a
crucial and characteristic role in translation initiation. This
gene encodes a 28S subunit protein that has also been associated
with type 1 diabetes; however, its relationship to the etiology of
this disease remains to be clarified. Pseudogenes corresponding to
this gene have been found on chromosomes 3 and 13. [provided by
RefSeq].
