Coenzyme Q7 Homolog, Ubiquinone (COQ7)

COQ7 is similar to a mitochondrial di-iron containing hydroxylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is involved with ubiquinone biosynthesis. Mutations in the yeast gene lead to slower development and longer life span. Transcript variants have been described for this gene, but their full-length sequences have not been determined.

The protein shares 85%, 89%, 53%, and 37% sequence identity with orthologs from mouse, rat, C. elegans, and S. cerevisiae, respectively. COQ7 transfected into COS-7 cells shows a single band of about 25 kD by Western blot analysis. Northern blot analysis detected expression of a 0.9-kb COQ7 transcript in heart and skeletal muscle, with barely detectable expression in brain, placenta, liver, kidney, and pancreas.