Differential expression and clinical significance of COX6C in human diseases

Mitochondria, independent double-membrane organelles, are intracellular power plants that feed most eukaryotic cells with the ATP produced via the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Consistently, cytochrome c oxidase (COX) catalyzes the electron transfer chain's final step. Electrons are transferred from reduced cytochrome c to molecular oxygen and play an indispensable role in oxidative phosphorylation of cells. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6c (COX6C) is encoded by the nuclear genome in the ribosome after translation and is transported to mitochondria via different pathways, and eventually forms the COX complex. In recent years, many studies have shown the abnormal level of COX6C in familial hypercholesterolemia, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine leiomyoma, follicular thyroid cancer, melanoma tissues, and other conditions. Its underlying mechanism may be related to the cellular oxidative phosphorylation pathway in tissue injury disease. Here reviews the varied function of COX6C in non-tumor and tumor diseases.