The DMD gene codes for a large protein called dystrophin that is necessary for muscle cells to maintain their shape. When this protein is missing, muscle cells literally explode as material from outside the cell walls leaks in raising cell pressure. Mutations in the DMD gene can cause a muscle-wasting disorder, called Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or its milder form, Becker muscular dystrophy.
The NF2 gene produces a protein, called merlin, in the schwann cells that wrap around the axons of nerve cells. Merlin is a tumor suppressor protein, involved in regulation of the cell's activities. If the merlin protein is mutated, the schwann cells can