Function
Component of the ribosome, a large ribonucleoprotein complex responsible for the synthesis of proteins in the cell. The small ribosomal subunit (SSU) binds messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and translates the encoded message by selecting cognate aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules. The large subunit (LSU) contains the ribosomal catalytic site termed the peptidyl transferase center (PTC), which catalyzes the formation of peptide bonds, thereby polymerizing the amino acids delivered by tRNAs into a polypeptide chain. The nascent polypeptides leave the ribosome through a tunnel in the LSU and interact with protein factors that function in enzymatic processing, targeting, and the membrane insertion of nascent chains at the exit of the ribosomal tunnel (PubMed:22096102). uS5 is important for the assembly and function of the 40S ribosomal subunit. Mutations in this protein affects the control of translational fidelity. Involved in nucleolar processing of pre-18S ribosomal RNA and ribosome assembly (PubMed:15590835).