Ribosomes, the organelles that catalyze protein synthesis, consist of a small 40S subunit and a large 60S subunit. Together these subunits are composed of 4 RNA species and approximately 80 structurally distinct proteins. This gene encodes a member of the L18AE family of ribosomal proteins that is a component of the 60S subunit. The encoded protein may play a role in viral replication by interacting with the hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site (IRES). This gene is co-transcribed with the U68 snoRNA, located within the third intron. As is typical for genes encoding ribosomal proteins, there are multiple processed pseudogenes of this gene dispersed throughout the genome. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2012].