Molecular cloning and functional expression of a human cDNA encoding translation initiation factor 6

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 6 (eIF6) binds to the 60S ribosomal subunit and prevents its association with the 40S ribosomal subunit. In this paper, we devised a procedure for purifying eIF6 from rabbit reticulocyte lysates and immunochemically characterized the protein by using antibodies isolated from egg yolks of laying hens immunized with rabbit eIF6. By using these monospecific antibodies, a 1.096-kb human cDNA that encodes an eIF6 of 245 amino acids (calculated M(r) 26,558) has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant human protein exhibits biochemical properties that are similar to eIF6 isolated from mammalian cell extracts. Database searches identified amino acid sequences from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Drosophila, and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans with significant identity to the deduced amino acid sequence of human eIF6, suggesting the presence of homologues of human eIF6 in these organisms.