Cytochrome C Oxidase Assembly 1 Like Protein (OXA1L)

Cytochrome c oxidase is a complex of proteins that is essential for cellular energy metabolism. It functions by transferring electrons from reduced cytochrome c to molecular oxygen. Mammalian cytochrome c oxidase consists of 13 subunits. The 3 largest subunits are encoded by the mitochondrial genome while the remainder are produced by nuclear genes and imported into the mitochondria. One key component required for cytochrome c oxidase assembly, identified first in yeast, is the oxa1 gene.

The cDNA, designated OXA1Hs by them, encodes a predicted 435-amino acid protein that is 33% identical to the yeast gene. Northern blots showed that the 2-kb mRNA was expressed at relatively high levels in all cell lines tested.