16S ribosomal RNA
RNA component
16S ribosomal RNA (or 16S rRNA) is the RNA component of the 30S subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome (SSU rRNA). It binds to the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and provides most of the SSU structure.
The genes coding for it are referred to as 16S rRNA genes and are used in reconstructing phylogenies, due to the slow rates of evolution of this region of the gene. Carl Woese and George E. Fox were two of the people who pioneered the use of 16S rRNA in phylogenetics in 1977. Multiple sequences of the 16S rRNA gene can exist within a single bacterium.
Terminology
The descriptor 16S refers to the size of these ribosomal subunits as reflected indirectly by the speed at which they sediment when samples are centrifuged. Thus 16S means 16 Svedberg units.
Functions
Like the large (23S) ribosomal RNA, it has a structural role, acting as a scaffold defining the positions of the ribosomal proteins.
The 3′-end contains the anti-Shine-Dalgarno sequence, which binds upstream to the AUG start codon on the mRNA. The 3′-end of 16S RNA binds to the proteins S1 and S21 which are known to be involved in initiation of protein synthesis
Interacts with 23S, aiding in the binding of the two ribosomal subunits (50S and 30S)
Stabilizes correct codon-anticodon pairing in the A-site by forming a hydrogen bond between the N1 atom of adenine residues 1492 and 1493 and the 2′OH group of the mRNA backbone.
Universal primers
The 16S rRNA gene is used for phylogenetic studies as it is highly conserved between different species of bacteria and archaea.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “16S ribosomal RNA” as rNA component. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as rNA component. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1209205. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1977, 1492 and 1493.
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This entry incorporates text from “16S ribosomal RNA” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.