Predicted to be a structural constituent of ribosome. Acts upstream of or within several processes, including 90S preribosome assembly; middle ear morphogenesis; and sensory perception of sound. Part of eukaryotic 80S initiation complex. Is active in synapse. Is expressed in thymus primordium. Used to study otitis media. Orthologous to human RPL38 (ribosomal protein L38). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2022]