The structure of the human intron-containing S8 ribosomal protein gene and determination of its chromosomal location at 1p32-p34.1

Abstract

The intron-containing gene encoding human ribosomal protein S8 (RPS8) has been cloned and characterized, and its chromosomal position determined. Using a PCR-based cloning strategy, we have isolated the intron-containing gene in the presence of its many processed pseudogenes and determined the DNA sequence of the entire gene and its upstream and downstream flanking regions. The human RPS8 gene is 3161 bp in length and comprises six exons. Despite lacking a consensus TATA box, primer extension analysis indicates that the start of transcription is precisely located at a C residue within an 11-bp oligopyrimidine tract. The first exon, which contains the ATG start codon, is just 27 bp in length. The DNA sequence 5' to the RPS8 gene and within the first exon and intron shows several features of a CpG island. A combination of Southern blotting, PCR, and fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses has enabled the chromosomal location of the human RPS8 gene to be determined as 1p32-p34.1.