Translational control is a key step in gene expression regulation during apoptosis. To understand the mechanisms of mRNA translation of a pro‐apoptotic gene, reaper (rpr), we adapted the tobramycin‐aptamer technique described by Hartmuth et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2002, 99, 16719–16724) for the analysis of proteins interacting with rpr 5' untranslated region (UTR). We assembled ribonucleoprotein complexes in vitro using translation extracts derived from Drosophila embryos and purified the RNA‐protein complexes for mas spectrometry analysis. We identified the proteins bound to the 5' UTR of rpr. One of them, the La antigen, was validated by RNA‐crosslinking experiments using recombinant protein and by the translation efficiency of reporter mRNAs in Drosophila cells after RNAinterference experiments. Our data provide evidence of the involvement of La antigen in the translation of rpr and set a protocol for purification of tagged‐RNA‐protein complexes from cytoplasmic extracts.