Ribosomes, the organelles that catalyze protein synthesis,
consist of a small 40S subunit and a large 60S subunit. Together
these subunits are composed of 4 RNA species and approximately 80
structurally distinct proteins. This gene encodes a cytoplasmic
ribosomal protein that is a component of the 40S subunit. The
protein belongs to the S6E family of ribosomal proteins. It is the
major substrate of protein kinases in the ribosome, with subsets of
five C-terminal serine residues phosphorylated by different protein
kinases. Phosphorylation is induced by a wide range of stimuli,
including growth factors, tumor-promoting agents, and mitogens.
Dephosphorylation occurs at growth arrest. The protein may
contribute to the control of cell growth and proliferation through
the selective translation of particular classes of mRNA. As is
typical for genes encoding ribosomal proteins, there are multiple
processed pseudogenes of this gene dispersed through the genome.
