Small ribosomal subunit protein uS8

uS8 (RPS15A) is a 130-amino-acid component of the small eukaryotic ribosomal subunit that participates in ribosome biogenesis and assembly of the small subunit processome in the nucleolus (UniProt: P62244). The protein coordinates RNA folding, modification, and rearrangement during early ribosomal maturation and is required for proper red blood cell development.

UniProt documentation associates RPS15A mutations with Diamond-Blackfan anemia 20 (DBA20), an autosomal dominant congenital disorder affecting erythropoiesis and characterized by macrocytic anemia and developmental anomalies (UniProt: P62244). The protein's role in ribosomal assembly positions it in fundamental cellular translation machinery.

RPS15A is down-regulated in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue relative to age-matched controls, with a mean log2 fold-change of −0.27 across post-mortem samples analyzed by TMT-labeled proteomics (Chaparral AD proteomics). This reduction in ribosomal protein abundance may reflect broader changes in protein synthesis capacity or ribosomal integrity in AD neurodegeneration.