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 ribosomal protein that is a component of the 60S subunit. The protein belongs to the L4E family of ribosomal proteins. It is located in the cytoplasm. As is typical for genes encoding ribosomal proteins, there are multiple processed pseudogenes of this gene dispersed through the genome. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in human prostate tissue demonstrated that the lncRNA ENST00000561775 is upregulated in samples with a high postmortem interval (PMI) compared to those with a low PMI, as identified through total RNA sequencing and differential expression analysis [Javan et al. DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-29561-7]. This biomarker is associated with the gene RPL4 and its expression pattern contributes to the molecular profile used for PMI estimation. A study in mice demonstrated that the RPL4 mRNA levels in retinal cells decreased in a linear correlation with the post-mortem interval, indicating its utility for PMI estimation [Scrivano et al. DOI:10.1007/s00414-019-02125-x].