A ribosomal protein in Acanthamoeba polyphaga is conserved in eukaryotic nuclei, organelles and bacteria

An EcoRI fragment from the mitochondrial DNA of Acanthamoeba polyphaga was cloned and partly sequenced, and the conceptual translation product of the open reading frame (partial sequence) was found to have similarities with rpl14, a ribosomal protein. Phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid (aa) sequences of this conserved protein resolved four branches that consisted of: ( 1) eubacteria and the chloroplasts of algae and higher plants, ( 2) ciliate mitochondria, ( 3) Acanthamoeba, and ( 4) archaebacteria and the nuclei of eukaryotes. The groupings based on the rpl14 aa sequences were consistent with the phylogenies derived by rRNA analysis of these organisms.