Cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIIc pseudogene

Cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIIc pseudogene represents a nonfunctional DNA sequence with high similarity to the COX7C gene, which encodes a structural subunit of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, a terminal enzyme in the respiratory electron transport chain. Pseudogenes arise through duplication or retrotransposition, but lack essential regulatory elements or contain disabling mutations, preventing expression of a functional protein[5][2]. Most pseudogenes, including this one, are regarded as evolutionary remnants or "junk DNA" and are not transcribed or translated, although a small fraction in the genome may acquire regulatory roles. This pseudogene is not involved in biological pathways, therapeutic interventions, or disease mechanisms, except as a genomic sequence homologous to the COX7C gene[5][2][4][1].\n\nIf a molecular target is needed for drug discovery, the canonical gene is cytochrome c oxidase subunit 7C (COX7C), not its pseudogene.