5.8S rRNA

5.8S ribosomal RNA
Predicted secondary structure and sequence conservation of 5.8S ribosomal RNA
Identifiers
Symbol	5_8S_rRNA
Rfam	RF00002
Other data
RNA type	Gene; rRNA
Domain(s)	Eukaryota; Archaea
GO	0003735 0005840
SO	0000375

In molecular biology the 5.8S ribosomal RNA (5.8S rRNA) is a non-coding RNA component of the large subunit of the eukaryotic ribosome and so plays an important role in protein translation. It is transcribed by RNA polymerase I as part of the 45S precursor that also contains 18S and 28S rRNA. Its function is thought to be in ribosome translocation. It is also known to form covalent linkage to the p53 tumour suppressor protein.

5.8S rRNA can be used as a reference gene for miRNA detection.