Ribosomal protein L23a pseudogene 8 (RPL23AP8)

Ribosomal protein L23a pseudogene 8 (RPL23AP8) is a processed pseudogene related to the ribosomal protein L23a gene. Pseudogenes are genomic DNA sequences similar to normal genes but generally nonfunctional; they usually do not encode functional proteins due to mutations or lack of regulatory elements. RPL23AP8 belongs to a family of over ninety processed pseudogenes derived from the protein-coding RPL23A gene, which encodes a structural component of the 60S ribosomal subunit[5][6]. There is no evidence supporting a direct functional or pathological role of RPL23AP8 itself, nor is it considered a therapeutic target. The biological roles of ribosomal protein pseudogenes overall are largely unknown, though some may participate in the regulation of gene expression, such as acting as competitive endogenous RNAs; however, no such function has been established for RPL23AP8 specifically[3][6]. There is no evidence linking RPL23AP8 to any diseases, drug interactions, or clinical biomarker use. For other pseudogenes of RPL23A (e.g., RPL23AP53), some research suggests association with altered expression in cancer, but these findings are gene-specific and do not generalize to RPL23AP8[3].\n\nThe true protein-coding gene, RPL23A, encodes a ribosomal subunit protein involved in protein synthesis and has been studied as an autoimmune target[5]. RPL23AP8 is distinctly annotated as a pseudogene in gene databases; there is no evidence or annotation suggesting it produces a functional protein[6]. Catalogs and biological reagent providers list RPL23AP8 among other ribosomal protein pseudogenes, all being classified as noncoding[1][2][4]. Some studies report altered expression of certain RPL23A pseudogenes (for example, RPL23AP53) in cancer but do not comment on RPL23AP8[3].\n\nThis is not a therapeutic target—it is a pseudogene, not a functional protein, receptor, or enzyme, and currently has no direct clinical, functional, or pharmacological relevance[5][6][3].

Other names

RPL23AP8RPL23AP9RPL23A_34_1351Ribosomal protein L23a pseudogene 9