Studies on the mouse rpL32 pseudogene family: features of a new member

A new processed pseudogene (rpL32-5C) that belongs to the mouse rpL32 multigene family has been sequenced and compared to previously characterised mammalian rpL32 family members. rpL32-5C has intact direct terminal repeats of 13 nt, a poly A tail of 10 nt and it does not contain conserved promoter elements at its 5' end. The comparison with the L32 cDNA and 4A processed pseudogene shows a deletion of 25 nt in rpL32-5C as well as several nt substitutions that lead to frameshifts and interruption of the ORF. Most of the consistent substitutions occur in the third codon position lending support to the suggestion that all rpL32 processed pseudogenes have been derived from transcripts of the functional gene.