The protein encoded by this gene is found in the mitochondrion, where it represents the alpha subunit of a proteolytic heterodimer. This heterodimer is responsible for cleaving the transit peptide from nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins. Defects in this gene are a cause of spinocerebellar ataxia, autosomal recessive 2. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2016] see less The protein encoded by this gene is found in the mitochondrion, where it represents the alpha subunit of a proteolytic heterodimer. This heterodimer is responsible for cleaving the transit peptide from nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins. Defects in this gene are a cause of spinocerebellar ataxia, autosomal recessive 2. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2016]