THE ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA RIBOSOMAL-PROTEIN S15 (RIG) GENE

We have isolated cDNA and genomic clones for Arabidopsis thaliana cytosolic ribosomal protein S15 and determined their sequences. Like animal S15 genes, this plant S15 gene is composed of four exons and the first intron is located immediately following the ATG translational start codon. The 5' end of the S15 mRNA was mapped by RNase protection experiments which showed that this mRNA contains a 5' untranslated region of approx. 83 nucleotides. Southern blot analyses suggest that Arabidopsis S15 is encoded by a small family of genes. The sequences of the predicted exons in the cloned S15 gene are identical to that of the S15 cDNA, demonstrating that this gene is transcriptionally active. Sequence analysis of the cloned A. thaliana S15 gene shows that it is tightly linked (approx. 500 nucleotides distant) to a gene of unknown function. The Arabidopsis S15 protein described here is about 75% identical to vertebrate S15, 70% identical to the homologous yeast protein (S21), 50% identical to archaebacterial S19, 30% identical to eubacterial S19, and about 30% identical to plant mitochondrial and plastid S19.