Large ribosomal subunit protein eL20

Summary: RPL18A (Large Ribosomal Subunit Protein eL20)

RPL18A encodes a structural component of the large ribosomal subunit and participates in protein synthesis, one of the fundamental anabolic processes in all cells (UniProt: Q02543). The protein is a 176-amino-acid, ~20.8 kDa ribosomal protein found across human tissues where active translation occurs. No disease associations are documented in the UniProt record itself.

In Alzheimer's Disease, RPL18A shows a modest downregulation in post-mortem AD brain tissue relative to age-matched controls, with a mean log2 fold-change of −0.25 (Chaparral AD proteomics). This finding comes from TMT-labeled quantitative proteomics across four subcellular fractions (P2, P3, S2, S3) of human brain, suggesting that ribosomal protein abundance may be altered in AD pathology. The modest effect size and single-fraction representation warrant caution in interpretation, though reduced ribosomal capacity could reflect impaired neuronal translation during neurodegeneration.