Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) catalyzes the transfer of electrons from cytochrome c to molecular oxygen, which helps to maintain the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane that is necessary for aerobic ATP production. Human COX is a multimeric protein complex that requires several assembly factors; this gene encodes one of the COX asembly factors. The encoded protein is a metallochaperone that is involved in the biogenesis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II. Mutations in this gene are associated with fatal infantile encephalocardiomyopathy. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2009]