Gene Organization and Sequence of the Region Containing the Ribosomal Protein Genes RPL13A and RPS11 in the Human Genome and Conserved Features in the Mouse Genome

We have determined the organization and sequence of the region containing two ribosomal protein (rp) genes in the human and mouse genomes. The two genes, human RPL13A and RPS11, and mouse Rpl13a and Rps11, are tandemly located in both genomes with an interval of only 4.6kb in the case of the human genes and 1.6kb in the case of the mouse genes. The human RPL13A and RPS11 are 4236bp and 3254bp in length and comprise eight and five exons respectively, whereas the mouse Rps11 is 1951bp long and has five exons. Structural comparison of these genes, including previously reported mouse Rpl13a, revealed a significant conservation of sequences in the promoter regions. Although most rp genes are dispersed throughout the human genome, the conserved features and adjacent localization indicate possible coordinate transcription of the two genes. Furthermore, we have found that four small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) genes are located in the introns of the two rp genes, both human and mouse. U32, U33, and U34 snoRNAs are encoded in introns 2, 4, and 5 of RPL13A respectively, and U35 in the sixth intron of RPL13A and the third intron of RPS11. The same organization of these snoRNA genes was also observed in the case of the mouse genes.