Description
Ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) is a component of the 40S ribosomal subunit and is therefore thought to be involved in regulating translation. 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 cytoplasmic ribosomal protein that is a component of the 40S subunit. The protein belongs to the S6E family of ribosomal proteins. It is the major substrate of protein kinases in the ribosome, with subsets of five C-terminal serine residues phosphorylated by different protein kinases. Phosphorylation is induced by a wide range of stimuli, including growth factors, tumor-promoting agents, and mitogens. Dephosphorylation occurs at growth arrest. The protein may contribute to the control of cell growth and proliferation through the selective translation of particular classes of mRNA. As is typical for genes encoding ribosomal proteins, there are multiple processed pseudogenes of this gene dispersed through the genome. While the true function of rpS6 is currently under investigation, studies have shown that it is involved in the regulation of cell size, cell proliferation, and glucose homeostasis