| 2007 |
Yeast Cox4 (ortholog of human COX4I1) is a zinc-binding subunit of cytochrome c oxidase. The Zn(II) coordination involves a single histidyl residue and three conserved cysteine residues. Substitutions at the Cys ligand positions result in non-functional Cox4 proteins that fail to support cytochrome oxidase assembly, demonstrating that zinc binding is essential for complex stability. NMR solution structure revealed a C-terminal globular domain with two beta sheets, with the Zn(II) ion buried within the domain. |
NMR structure determination, site-directed mutagenesis of zinc-coordinating residues, functional assembly assays |
The Journal of biological chemistry |
High |
17215247
|
| 2006 |
Translation of yeast COX4 mRNA is regulated by phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin content in mitochondrial membranes. A 50-nucleotide cis-element with two stem-loops in the 5' UTR of COX4 mRNA inhibits translation when cardiolipin/phosphatidylglycerol are absent, and a trans-acting protein factor(s) from the cytoplasm of cardiolipin-deficient cells specifically binds this cis-element to repress translation. |
Reporter gene (mtGFP) fusions, 5' UTR deletion analysis, RNA-protein binding assay, genetic complementation |
Molecular and cellular biology |
High |
16428432
|
| 2009 |
Spermidine stimulates translation of yeast COX4 mRNA approximately 2.5-fold by promoting ribosome shunting through stem-loop structures in the 5' UTR, making COX4 the first member of a polyamine modulon in yeast. |
Polyamine-requiring yeast mutant (Δspe1), spermidine add-back experiments, translation-level analysis |
The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology |
Medium |
19695341
|
| 2017 |
COX4I1 (COX4-1) is a regulatory subunit of cytochrome c oxidase (Complex IV). A K101N mutation in COX4I1 leads to decreased COX activity, impaired ATP production, elevated ROS, and undetectable COX4-1 protein in patient fibroblasts. Lentiviral transduction with wild-type COX4I1 restored COX activity and ATP production, confirming the essential role of COX4-1 in Complex IV function. |
Whole exome sequencing, Sanger confirmation, patient fibroblast enzymatic assays, lentiviral complementation |
European journal of human genetics : EJHG |
High |
28766551
|
| 2017 |
Chlorpromazine selectively inhibits cytochrome c oxidase (Complex IV) activity in chemoresistant glioma cells expressing COX4-1, but not in chemosensitive cells expressing COX4-2, without affecting other mitochondrial complexes. Computer-simulated docking indicated chlorpromazine binds more tightly to CcO containing COX4-1 than COX4-2. The switch from COX4-2 to COX4-1 expression accompanies the development of chemoresistance. |
COX activity assays in chemoresistant vs. chemosensitive glioma cells, computer-simulated docking, orthotopic mouse brain tumor models |
Oncotarget |
Medium |
28455961
|
| 2021 |
Complete knockout of COX4I1 in HEK293 cells abolishes Complex IV (cIV) assembly and also causes profound deficiency of Complex I (cI), with decreased cI subunit levels and reduced assembled cI. Supercomplexes (cI/cIII/cIV) were absent. Pulse-chase metabolic labeling revealed decreased mitochondrial translation of cIV and cI subunits, and complexome profiling revealed accumulation of cI assembly intermediates, indicating that cIV deficiency impairs cI biogenesis (rather than stability) partly through attenuation of mitochondrial protein synthesis. |
CRISPR KO, blue-native PAGE, pulse-chase metabolic labeling of mtDNA-encoded proteins, complexome profiling, quantitative proteomics |
Cells |
High |
33578848
|
| 2022 |
COX4-1 expression promotes assembly of CcO-containing mitochondrial supercomplexes (SCs) in GBM cells and reduces superoxide production. Overexpression of COX4-1 in radiosensitive cells increased CcO activity, promoted SC assembly, and conferred radioresistance, while silencing COX4-1 in radioresistant cells reduced CcO activity, promoted SC disassembly, and increased superoxide production. |
Isogenic radiosensitive/radioresistant GBM cell lines, COX4-1 overexpression and siRNA silencing, CcO activity assays, superoxide measurements, native PAGE for SC analysis |
Cell stress |
High |
35478774
|
| 2020 |
Dynein light chain 1 (Dynll1) forms a persistent protein complex with mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase Cox4i1. Dissociation of the Dynll1-Cox4i1 complex upon Listeria monocytogenes infection is required for the release of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, which regulates intracellular bacterial proliferation. Dynll1 acts as an inhibitor of mitochondrial ROS production through this interaction. |
Mass spectrometry of membrane proteins, Co-IP/complex identification, bacterial infection model in dendritic cells, ROS measurement |
Infection and immunity |
Medium |
32041786
|
| 2021 |
COX4I1 is a direct target of microRNA-338 (miR-338). Inhibition of miR-338 increased COX4I1 levels and augmented cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) activity and ATP production in astrocytes and neurons. The protective effect of miR-338 inhibitor against in vitro ischemia was blocked by concurrent COX4I1 siRNA knockdown, establishing COX4I1 as the relevant effector of miR-338 in mitochondrial ATP production. |
miR-338 antagomir treatment in vivo and in vitro, siRNA knockdown of COX4I1, CcO activity assays, ATP measurement, infarct size measurement |
Mitochondrion |
Medium |
33933660
|
| 2018 |
HIF-1α regulates expression of COX4I1 (COXIV-1). In neuron-like cells, microwave-induced ROS production activated HIF-1α, which in turn upregulated COXIV-1 expression. HIF-1α inhibition downregulated COXIV-1, promoted ROS generation, impaired mitochondrial membrane potential, and abolished microwave-induced ATP production, indicating COX4I1 is downstream of HIF-1α in a mitochondrial stress-response pathway. |
HIF-1α inhibitor treatment, HIF-1α transcriptional activity assay, COX activity assays, ROS measurement, ATP measurement, mitochondrial membrane potential assay |
Scientific reports |
Medium |
29991768
|
| 2024 |
COX4I1 depletion in AML cells induces mitochondrial stress and ferroptosis, disrupts mitochondrial ultrastructure and oxidative phosphorylation. CRISPR gene tiling scans combined with mitochondrial proteomics identified specific regions within COX4I1 essential for leukemia cell survival and mitochondrial Complex IV assembly. COX4I1 depletion or pharmacological inhibition of Complex IV (chlorpromazine) synergized with venetoclax. |
CRISPR screen, CRISPR gene tiling, mitochondrial proteomics, COX4I1 depletion, ferroptosis/apoptosis assays, venetoclax combination studies, in vivo AML progression assay |
Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) |
High |
39716856
|
| 2024 |
COX4I1 knockdown in extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells inhibited proliferation, increased migration and invasion, impaired mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis, and induced mitochondrial fusion. Knockdown of MMP1 rescued the increased migration and invasion induced by COX4I1 silencing, placing MMP1 downstream of COX4I1 in the regulation of trophoblast invasion. |
siRNA knockdown, RTCA, EdU proliferation assay, Seahorse metabolic analysis, MitoTracker staining, MMP1 rescue experiment |
Placenta |
Medium |
38718733
|
| 2022 |
COX4-1 deficiency (COX4I1 knockdown) in human fibroblasts leads to accumulative DNA damage primarily in proliferating cells, reduced DNA damage response pathway expression, impaired recovery from genotoxic insult, and decreased DNA repair, resulting in replicative stress and premature senescence. |
COX4I1 knockdown (siRNA), DNA damage marker analysis, genotoxic insult recovery assay, expression analysis of DNA repair pathways |
International journal of molecular sciences |
Medium |
35456968
|
| 2025 |
In transmitochondrial cybrid cells, COX4-1-containing mitochondria restored CcO activity and conferred resistance to erastin-induced ferroptosis, whereas COX4-2 mitochondria did not. COX4-1 cybrids exhibited reduced labile iron, diminished cystine uptake, and low SLC7A11 and GPX4 expression, yet underwent apoptosis rather than ferroptosis upon erastin treatment, demonstrating that mitochondrial COX4-1 rewires redox metabolism and diverts cell death from ferroptosis to apoptosis. |
CRISPR POLG-KO ρ0 cells, transmitochondrial cybrid reconstitution, erastin treatment, cell death mode assays, iron and cystine uptake measurements, SLC7A11/GPX4 expression analysis |
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) |
High |
41596099
|
| 2025 |
Cold-induced accumulation of arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (AA-PE) in brown adipose tissue mitochondria, driven by LPCAT3, partitions at the COX4I1 interface of the Cytochrome c oxidase complex, enhancing electron transport chain efficiency and thermogenesis. Lipid-based proteomics and molecular dynamics simulations identified this specific COX4I1-lipid interaction. |
Lipid-based proteomics, molecular dynamics simulations, bioenergetic analyses, fat-specific Lpcat3 knockout mice |
bioRxiv (preprint)preprint |
Medium |
bio_10.1101_2025.05.15.654206
|
| 2025 |
Functional studies in patient tissues and transiently transfected cell lines showed that COX4I1 pathogenic variants (deep intronic and nonsense) exert their effect primarily by reducing COX4I1 protein levels, thereby impairing proper assembly and activity of Complex IV. Proteomic data also implicated downstream effects on mitoribosomal protein levels. |
Patient fibroblast functional studies, transiently transfected cell lines, Complex IV activity assays, proteomic analysis of patient fibroblasts |
Mitochondrion |
Medium |
41203052
|