Description
Cytochrome c oxidase is the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It is a multi-subunit enzyme complex that couples the transfer of electrons from cytochrome c to molecular oxygen and contributes to a proton electrochemical gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The complex consists of 13 mitochondrial- and nuclear-encoded subunits. In addition a number of cytochrome c oxidase subunit pseudogenes have been found. This gene represents a subunit which has been inactivated by mutation and is nonfunctional in humans