Mitochondrial ribosomes consist of a large 39S subunit and a small 28S subunit, both of which are comprised of multiple mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) that are encoded by nuclear genes and are essential for protein synthesis within mitochondria. MRP-S36 (mitochondrial ribosomal protein S36), is a 103 amino acid protein that localizes to the mitochondrion, where it exists as a component of the 28S ribosomal subunit and works in conjunction with other MRPs to mediate protein synthesis. The gene encoding MRP-S36 maps to human chromosome 5, which contains 181 million base pairs and comprises nearly 6% of the human genome. Deletion of the p arm of chromosome 5 leads to Cri du chat syndrome, while deletion of the q arm or of chromosome 5 altogether is common in therapy-related acute myelogenous leukemias and myelodysplastic syndrome.