Cloning and characterization of the L15 ribosomal protein gene homologue from the crayfish Orconectes limosus.

A cDNA homologue of the large unit rat ribosomal protein L15 was cloned from an epidermal cDNA library of the crayfish Orconectes limosus, being the first crustacean ribosomal protein gene cloned to date. It contains 204 amino acids, deduced from the nucleotide sequence, and reveals 70-76% sequence identity with other arthropod and vertebrate ribosomal L15s. A single, abundant 0.7-kb mRNA transcript was constitutively expressed and revealed similar expression levels, among various adult crayfish tissues.