Molecular cloning of the nuclear gene for mitochondrial ribosomal protein YmL31 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The nuclear gene for mitochondrial ribosomal protein YmL31 (MRP-L31) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cloned using synthetic oligonucleotide mixtures which correspond to the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the mature YmL31. The gene MRP-L31 codes for a basic protein with a calculated molecular mass of 15.5 kDa and resides on chromosome XI. A comparison of the amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the MRP-L31 gene and the N-terminal sequence of the isolated protein revealed the existence of a leader peptide sequence of 12 amino acid residues. No significant similarity to known ribosomal protein sequences of other organisms was found.