This gene encodes one of two non-identical subunits that
constitute ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase, an enzyme
essential for the production of deoxyribonucleotides prior to DNA
synthesis in S phase of dividing cells. It is one of several genes
located in the imprinted gene domain of 11p15.5, an important
tumor-suppressor gene region. Alterations in this region have been
associated with the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Wilms tumor,
rhabdomyosarcoma, adrenocrotical carcinoma, and lung, ovarian, and
breast cancer. This gene may play a role in malignancies and
disease that involve this region.
