The nucleotide sequence of rpsL and its flanking regions in Salmonella typhimurium

The ribosomal protein (r-protein)-encoding gene, rpsL, and regions flanking it, from Salmonella typhimurium, have been sequenced directly from polymerase chain reaction-amplified chromosomal DNA. The deduced amino acid sequence is identical to that of the Escherichia coli rpsL encoded r-protein. At the nucleotide level, the similarity is 98%, suggesting a strong pressure for the conservation of this important protein. More surprisingly, the noncoding sequences surrounding the gene are also conserved at the 98% level, suggesting that they too are functionally important.