Metadherin pseudogene

Metadherin pseudogene" (ENSG00000269471) designates a **pseudogene** that shares sequence similarity with the protein-coding metadherin (MTDH) gene but is not itself a functional protein-coding gene. Pseudogenes are considered genomic relics; they arise from duplication or retrotransposition events and acquire mutations that prevent productive transcription or translation[1][3][5]. While most pseudogenes are thought to be non-functional, some have regulatory roles as noncoding RNAs, potentially influencing the expression of their parent genes[3][5]. The metadherin pseudogene does not encode the functional Metadherin protein implicated in cancer and other pathologies, and is not itself considered a therapeutic target or receptor[1][3]. The term "metadherin pseudogene" does **not** refer to the actively studied cancer target "Metadherin" (also known as MTDH/AEG-1/LYRIC)[2][6][10][12]. ENSG00000269471 is a non-functional sequence related to metadherin and should not be considered a direct therapeutic target[1][3]. Pseudogenes, by definition, usually do **not** code for active proteins or canonical drug targets (like receptors, enzymes, or channels), although rare exceptions exist when regulatory function is proven[1][3][5]. For drug targets and disease association, the relevant locus is MTDH (ENSG00000147649), not the pseudogene[2][10][12]. ENSG00000269471 is a non-coding pseudogene, not a therapeutic target, and should be flagged as "is_incorrect: true" when targeted for drug discovery, assay design, or biomarker analysis. Most drug, function, and disease association information in the literature pertains to the true metadherin gene (MTDH), not its pseudogene.