60S ribosomal protein L8 is a
protein that in humans is encoded by the ''RPL8''
gene.
Ribosome
Ribosomes ( ) are macromolecular machines, found within all cells, that perform biological protein synthesis (mRNA translation). Ribosomes link amino acids together in the order specified by the codons of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules to ...
s, the
organelle
In cell biology, an organelle is a specialized subunit, usually within a cell, that has a specific function. The name ''organelle'' comes from the idea that these structures are parts of cells, as organs are to the body, hence ''organelle,'' the ...
s that catalyze
protein synthesis
Protein biosynthesis (or protein synthesis) is a core biological process, occurring inside Cell (biology), cells, homeostasis, balancing the loss of cellular proteins (via Proteolysis, degradation or Protein targeting, export) through the product ...
, consist of a small
40S
The eukaryotic small ribosomal subunit (40S) is the smaller subunit of the eukaryotic 80S ribosomes, with the other major component being the large ribosomal subunit (60S). The "40S" and "60S" names originate from the convention that ribosomal pa ...
subunit and a large
60S Ribosomal particles are denoted according to their sedimentation coefficients in Svedberg units. The 60S subunit is the large subunit of eukaryotic 80S ribosomes. It is structurally and functionally related to the 50S subunit of 70S prokaryotic ...
subunit. Together these subunits are composed of 4
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
species and approximately 80 structurally distinct proteins. This gene encodes a
ribosomal protein that is a component of the 60S subunit. The protein belongs to the L2P family of ribosomal proteins. It is located in the
cytoplasm. In rat, the protein associates with the
5.8S rRNA
In molecular biology, the 5.8S ribosomal RNA (5.8S rRNA) is a non-coding RNA component of the large subunit of the Eukaryote, eukaryotic ribosome and so plays an important role in translation (genetics), protein translation. It is Transcription ( ...
, very likely participates in the binding of
aminoacyl-tRNA, and is a constituent of the