ribosomal protein L6 appears to have arisen as aresult of an ancient gene duplication as based onstructural comparison of the Bacillus stearothermophilusprotein; RNA-binding appears to be in the C-terminaldomain; mutations in the L6 gene confer resistance toaminoglycoside antibiotics such as gentamicin and theseoccur in truncations of the C-terminal domain; it has beenlocalized to a region between the base of the L7/L12 stalkand the central protuberance