Sequence analysis of a mosquito ribosomal protein rpL8 gene and its upstream regulatory region

The gene encoding Aedes albopictus ribosomal protein L8 was isolated using a cDNA probe. Based on the deduced amino acid sequence, rpL8 has a mass of 28,605 Da, a pI of 11.97, and contains 9.6% Arg and 11.9% Lys. The rpL8 gene spans 1229 nucleotides, and contains three exons measuring 73, 150, and 648 nucleotides. The first intron is 293 nucleotides long and interrupts an 85-nucleotide untranslated leader sequence. The AUG codon is located 12 nucleotides downstream of the 5'-end of the second exon. Separating the second and third exon is a 65-nucleotide intron. The major transcription initiation site, identified by primer extension and polymerase stop reactions, mapped 378 nucleotides upstream from the AUG start codon; minor initiation sites were also detected. The DNA sequence upstream of the rpL8 gene was T-rich, but conventional TATA and CAAT boxes were absent. This is the first molecular analysis of a mosquito ribosomal protein gene.