Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome (DMC), a rare autosomal recessive disorder, is characterized by microcephaly, short trunk dwarfism and sometime psychomotor retardation. Cutaneous cells of affected individuals show dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum and enlarged vacuoles. The Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome protein, also designated dymeclin, may play a role in proteoglycan metabolism and intracellular protein digestion. It is a widely expressed multi-pass membrane protein, detected primarily in chondrocytes and fetal brain tissue. Defects in dymeclin are also the cause of Smith-McCort dysplasis syndrome (SMC), which has characteristics identical to those of Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome.