InterPro domain: IPR041988

RPL26 and its bacterial paralogue RPL24 have a KOW motif at their N-terminal. KOW domain is known as an RNA-binding motif that is shared so far among some families of ribosomal proteins, the essential bacterial transcriptional elongation factor NusG, the eukaryotic chromatin elongation factor Spt5, the higher eukaryotic KIN17 proteins and Mtr4 [ 1 ]. RPL26 makes a very minor contributions to the biogenesis, structure, and function of 60s ribosomal subunits [ 2 ]. However, RPL24 is essential to generate the first intermediate during 50s ribosomal subunits assembly [ 3 ]. RPL26 have an extra-ribosomal function to enhances p53 translation after DNA damage [ 4 ].

1. KOW: a novel motif linking a bacterial transcription factor with ribosomal proteins. Trends Biochem. Sci. 21, 425-6
2. Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosomal protein L26 is not essential for ribosome assembly and function. Mol. Cell. Biol. 32, 3228-41
3. Assembly in vitro of the 50 S subunit from Escherichia coli ribosomes: proteins essential for the first heat-dependent conformational change. J. Mol. Biol. 115, 513-23
4. Regulation of p53 translation and induction after DNA damage by ribosomal protein L26 and nucleolin. Cell 123, 49-63