A cDNA encoding ribosomal protein L3 from the parasitic nematode Toxocara canis

A cDNA encoding the ribosomal (r) protein L3 of the parasitic nematode Toxocara canis was isolated from a library constructed from mRNA of the infective larval stage. The encoded protein has a high degree of similarity to r-protein L3 from other organisms, including mammals, yeast, plants and bacteria. The mRNA encoding r-protein L3 is derived from a single-copy gene, and experimental evidence would suggest that it contains the pan-nematode splice leader sequence at its 5' end and that the gene is interrupted by at least three introns.