Mitochondrial Ribosomal Protein L50 (MRPL50)

Mammalian mitochondrial ribosomal proteins are encoded by nuclear genes and help in protein synthesis within the mitochondrion. Mitochondrial ribosomes 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. MRPL50 encodes a putative 39S subunit protein and belongs to the L47P ribosomal protein family. Pseudogenes corresponding to this gene are found on chromosomes 2p, 2q, 5p, and 10q.