Plays an essential role in mitochondrial ribosome biogenesis. As a component of a functional protein-RNA module, consisting of RCC1L, NGRN, RPUSD3, RPUSD4, TRUB2, FASTKD2 and 16S mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (16S mt-rRNA), controls 16S mt-rRNA abundance and is required for intra-mitochondrial translation of core subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system