What genes are related to cartilage-hair hypoplasia?
Cartilage-hair hypoplasia is caused by mutations in the RMRP gene. Unlike many genes, the RMRP gene does not contain instructions for making a protein. Instead, a molecule called a noncoding RNA, a chemical cousin of DNA, is produced from the RMRP gene. This RNA attaches (binds) to several proteins, forming an enzyme called mitochondrial RNA-processing endoribonuclease, or RNase MRP. The RNase MRP enzyme is thought to be involved in several important processes in the cell. For example, it likely helps copy (replicate) the DNA found in the energy-producing centers of cells (mitochondria). The RNase MRP enzyme probably also processes ribosomal RNA, which is required for assembling protein building blocks (amino acids) into functioning proteins. In addition, this enzyme helps control the cell cycle, which is the cell’s way of replicating itself in an organized, step-by-step fashion. Mutations in the RMRP gene likely result in the production of a noncoding RNA that is unstable. This unstab
