FB2026_01 , released March 12, 2026
FB2026_01 , released March 12, 2026
Gene: Dmel\COX8
Open Close
General Information
Symbol
Dmel\COX8
Species
D. melanogaster
Name
Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 8
Annotation Symbol
CG7181
Feature Type
protein_coding_gene
FlyBase ID
FBgn0263911
Gene Model Status
Current
Stock Availability
5 publicly available
Gene Summary
Contribute a Gene Snapshot for this gene.
All Summaries
Also Known As

CoVIII, 0554/18, VIII

Key Links
Genomic Location
Cytogenetic map
78D5-78D5
Sequence location
Recombination map
3-47
RefSeq locus
NT_037436 REGION:21538859..21539447
Sequence
Get Decorated FASTA
Genomic Maps
Other Genome Views
The following external sites may use different assemblies or annotations than FlyBase.
NCBI
UCSC
Ensembl
PopFly
Function
Gene Ontology (GO) Annotations (4 terms)
Molecular Function (0 terms)
Terms Based on Experimental Evidence (0 terms)
Terms Based on Predictions or Assertions (0 terms)
Biological Process (1 term)
Terms Based on Experimental Evidence (0 terms)
Terms Based on Predictions or Assertions (1 term)
CV Term
Evidence
References
involved_in mitochondrial electron transport, cytochrome c to oxygen
inferred from electronic annotation with InterPro:IPR003205, InterPro:IPR036548
(InterPro Project Members, 2004-)
Cellular Component (3 terms)
Terms Based on Experimental Evidence (3 terms)
CV Term
Evidence
References
located_in mitochondrial inner membrane
inferred from direct assay
(Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
located_in mitochondrion
inferred from direct assay
(Ren et al., 2010)
part_of respiratory chain complex IV
inferred from direct assay
(Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
Terms Based on Predictions or Assertions (2 terms)
CV Term
Evidence
References
is_active_in mitochondrion
inferred from biological aspect of ancestor with PANTHER:PTN002314395
(GO Reference Genome Project, 2011-)
part_of respiratory chain complex IV
inferred from electronic annotation with InterPro:IPR036548
(InterPro Project Members, 2004-)
inferred from biological aspect of ancestor with PANTHER:PTN002314395
(GO Reference Genome Project, 2011-)
Gene Group (FlyBase)
Pathway (FlyBase)
Protein Family (UniProt)
-
Protein Signatures (InterPro)
Summaries
Gene Group (FlyBase)
MITOCHONDRIAL COMPLEX IV - SUPERNUMERARY SUBUNITS -
Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is the terminal complex (complex IV) of the electron transfer chain, embedded in the mitochondrial inner membrane. It catalyzes electron transfer from reduced cytochrome c to molecular oxygen in a process coupled to the transfer of protons across the inner membrane, thus contributing to the generation of the proton gradient that is used by ATP synthase to drive ATP synthesis. Eukaryotic COX is a multimeric enzyme formed by subunits of dual genetic origin. The three subunits forming the catalytic core of the enzyme (COX1, COX2 and COX3) are encoded by the mitochondrial DNA. The non-catalytic subunits are all encoded by the nuclear DNA. The functions of these 'supernumerary subunits' are largely unknown, though are assumed to regulate complex IV activity and to coordinate energy production with cellular needs. (Adapted from PMID:17091399 and PMID:28870773.)
MITOCHONDRIAL COMPLEX IV - TESTIS-SPECIFIC VARIANT -
Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is the terminal complex (complex IV) of the electron transfer chain, embedded in the mitochondrial inner membrane. It catalyzes electron transfer from reduced cytochrome c to molecular oxygen in a process coupled to the transfer of protons across the inner membrane, thus contributing to the generation of the proton gradient that is used by ATP synthase to drive ATP synthesis. (Adapted from PMID:17091399 and PMID:28870773.)
MITOCHONDRIAL COMPLEX IV -
Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is the terminal complex (complex IV) of the electron transfer chain, embedded in the mitochondrial inner membrane. It catalyzes electron transfer from reduced cytochrome c to molecular oxygen in a process coupled to the transfer of protons across the inner membrane, thus contributing to the generation of the proton gradient that is used by ATP synthase to drive ATP synthesis. (Adapted from PMID:17091399 and PMID:28870773.)
Pathway (FlyBase)
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION -
Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is the coordinated transfer of electrons and protons leading to the production of ATP. The OXPHOS system is composed of five mitochondrial inner membrane complexes, Complexes I-IV comprise the electron respiratory chain and Complex V the ATP synthase. Complexes I and II oxidize the electron donors NADH and FADH2, respectively, derived from the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the electrons are transferred to the electron carrier ubiquinone which shuttles them to Complex III. Cytochrome c transfers electrons between Complex III and the terminal complex in the respiratory chain, Complex IV. Complex IV catalyzes electron transfer from reduced cytochrome c to oxygen. Complex I, II and IV couple electron transfer to proton transport across the inner mitochondrial membrane into the inner membrane space. This generates a proton electrochemical gradient which is used to drive the synthesis of ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate by ATP synthase (Complex V). (Adapted from PMID:23356252 and PMID:11331900.)
Gene Model and Products
Number of Transcripts
2
Number of Unique Polypeptides
1

Please see the JBrowse view of Dmel\COX8 for information on other features

To submit a correction to a gene model please use the Contact FlyBase form

Protein Domains (via Pfam)
Isoform displayed:
Pfam protein domains
InterPro name
classification
start
end
Protein Domains (via SMART)
Isoform displayed:
SMART protein domains
InterPro name
classification
start
end
Structure
Protein 3D structure   (Predicted by AlphaFold)   (AlphaFold entry Q9VP19)

If you don't see a structure in the viewer, refresh your browser.
Model Confidence:
  • Very high (pLDDT > 90)
  • Confident (90 > pLDDT > 70)
  • Low (70 > pLDDT > 50)
  • Very low (pLDDT < 50)

AlphaFold produces a per-residue confidence score (pLDDT) between 0 and 100. Some regions with low pLDDT may be unstructured in isolation.

Experimentally Determined Structures
Crossreferences
Comments on Gene Model

Low-frequency RNA-Seq exon junction(s) not annotated.

Gene model reviewed during 5.46

Transcript Data
Annotated Transcripts
Name
FlyBase ID
RefSeq ID
Length (nt)
Assoc. CDS (aa)
COX8-RA
FBtr0078382
NM_141071
406
68
COX8-RB
FBtr0333464
NM_001275240
513
68
Additional Transcript Data and Comments
Reported size (kB)
Comments
External Data
Crossreferences
Polypeptide Data
Annotated Polypeptides
Name
FlyBase ID
Predicted MW (kDa)
Length (aa)
Theoretical pI
UniProt
RefSeq ID
GenBank
COX8-PA
FBpp0078037
7.4
68
10.33
Q9VP19
NP_649328
AAF51742
COX8-PB
FBpp0305654
7.4
68
10.33
Q9VP19
NP_001262169
AGB94862
Polypeptides with Identical Sequences

The group(s) of polypeptides indicated below share identical sequence to each other.

68 aa isoforms: COX8-PA, COX8-PB
Additional Polypeptide Data and Comments
Reported size (kDa)
Comments
External Data
Crossreferences
InterPro - A database of protein families, domains and functional sites
Linkouts
Sequences Consistent with the Gene Model
Mapped Features

Click to get a list of regulatory features (enhancers, TFBS, etc.) and gene disruptions (point mutations, indels, etc.) within or overlapping Dmel\COX8 using the Feature Mapper tool.

External Data
Crossreferences
Linkouts
Expression Data
Testis-specificity index

The testis specificity index was calculated from modENCODE tissue expression data by Vedelek et al., 2018 to indicate the degree of testis enrichment compared to other tissues. Scores range from -2.52 (underrepresented) to 5.2 (very high testis bias).

-0.64

Transcript Expression
Additional Descriptive Data
Marker for
 
Subcellular Localization
CV Term
Polypeptide Expression
Additional Descriptive Data
Marker for
 
Subcellular Localization
CV Term
Evidence
References
located_in mitochondrial inner membrane
inferred from direct assay
(Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
located_in mitochondrion
inferred from direct assay
(Ren et al., 2010)
part_of respiratory chain complex IV
inferred from direct assay
(Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
Expression Deduced from Reporters
High-Throughput Expression Data
Associated Tools

JBrowse - Visual display of RNA-Seq signals

View Dmel\COX8 in JBrowse
RNA-Seq by Region - Search RNA-Seq expression levels by exon or genomic region
Bulk Downloads
RNA-Seq RPKM values for all genes
Reference
See Gelbart and Emmert, 2013 for analysis details and data files for all genes.
Developmental Proteome: Life Cycle
Developmental Proteome: Embryogenesis
External Data and Images
Linkouts
DRscDB - A single-cell RNA-seq resource for data mining and data comparison across species
EMBL-EBI Single Cell Expression Atlas - Single cell expression across species
FlyAtlas - Adult expression by tissue, using Affymetrix Dros2 array
FlyAtlas2 - A Drosophila melanogaster expression atlas with RNA-Seq, miRNA-Seq and sex-specific data
Fly-FISH - A database of Drosophila embryo and larvae mRNA localization patterns
Images
FlyBase Wiki
Image Based Resources
Alleles, Insertions, Transgenic Constructs, and Aberrations
Classical and Insertion Alleles ( 5 )
For All Classical and Insertion Alleles Show
 
Other relevant insertions
Transgenic Constructs ( 5 )
For All Alleles Carried on Transgenic Constructs Show
Transgenic constructs containing/affecting coding region of COX8
Transgenic constructs containing regulatory region of COX8
Aberrations (Deficiencies and Duplications) ( 1 )
Inferred from experimentation ( 1 )
Gene partially disrupted in
Df(3L)pros54Pw+
(Szlanka et al., 2003)
Inferred from location ( 6 )
Variants
Variant Molecular Consequences
Alleles Representing Disease-Implicated Variants
Phenotypes
Orthologs
Downloads
Download All DIOPT Orthologs
Human Orthologs (via DIOPT v9.1)
Species\Gene Symbol
Score
Best Score
Best Reverse Score
Source
Compara
Domainoid
eggNOG
Hieranoid
Homologene
Inparanoid
OMA
OrthoDB
OrthoFinder
OrthoInspector
orthoMCL
Panther
Phylome
SonicParanoid
Alignment
Complementation?
Transgene?
Homo sapiens (Human) (2)
Hsap\COX8A
2 of 14
Yes
Yes
1  
Hsap\COX8C
1 of 14
No
Yes
Model Organism Orthologs (via DIOPT v9.1)
Species\Gene Symbol
Score
Best Score
Best Reverse Score
Source
Compara
Domainoid
eggNOG
Hieranoid
Homologene
Inparanoid
OMA
OrthoDB
OrthoFinder
OrthoInspector
orthoMCL
Panther
Phylome
SonicParanoid
Alignment
Complementation?
Transgene?
Rattus norvegicus (Norway rat) (3)
Rnor\Cox8a
2 of 14
Yes
Yes
Rnor\Cox8b
2 of 14
Yes
Yes
Rnor\Cox8c
1 of 14
No
Yes
Mus musculus (laboratory mouse) (3)
Mmus\Cox8a
2 of 14
Yes
Yes
Mmus\Cox8b
1 of 14
No
Yes
Mmus\Cox8c
1 of 14
No
Yes
Xenopus tropicalis (Western clawed frog) (0)
Danio rerio (Zebrafish) (3)
Drer\si:dkey-85n7.8
3 of 14
Yes
Yes
Drer\cox8a
2 of 14
No
Yes
Drer\cox8b
2 of 14
No
Yes
Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematode, roundworm) (0)
Anopheles gambiae (African malaria mosquito) (1)
Agam\AgaP_AGAP004400
4 of 12
Yes
Yes
Arabidopsis thaliana (thale-cress) (0)
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Brewer's yeast) (0)
Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Fission yeast) (0)
Escherichia coli (enterobacterium) (0)
Other Organism Orthologs (via OrthoDB)
Data provided directly from OrthoDB:COX8. Refer to their site for version information.
Paralogs
Downloads
Download All DIOPT Paralogs
Paralogs (via DIOPT v9.1)
Human Disease Associations
FlyBase Human Disease Model Reports
    Disease Ontology (DO) Annotations
    Models Based on Experimental Evidence ( 0 )
    Allele
    Disease
    Evidence
    References
    Potential Models Based on Orthology ( 1 )
    Modifiers Based on Experimental Evidence ( 0 )
    Allele
    Disease
    Interaction
    References
    Disease Associations of Human Orthologs (via DIOPT v9.1 and OMIM)
    Note that ortholog calls supported by only 1 or 2 algorithms (DIOPT score < 3) are not shown.
    Homo sapiens (Human)
    Gene name
    Score
    OMIM
    OMIM Phenotype
    DO term
    Complementation?
    Transgene?
    Functional Complementation Data
    Functional complementation data is computed by FlyBase using a combination of the orthology data obtained from DIOPT and OrthoDB and the allele-level genetic interaction data curated from the literature.
    Interactions
    Summary of Physical Interactions
    Interaction Browsers
    View in FlyBase Interactions Browser   View in MIST tool (external link)
    Please see the Physical Interaction reports below for full details
    protein-protein
    Physical Interaction
    Assay
    References
    COX8 - COX4
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - COX5A
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - COX5B
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - COX6B
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - COX7A
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - COX7AL2
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - COX7B
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - ND-MLRQ
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - cype
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - levy
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - mt:CoI
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - mt:CoII
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    COX8 - mt:CoIII
    cosedimentation, blue native page, peptide massfingerprinting
    (Brischigliaro et al., 2022)
    Summary of Genetic Interactions
    Interaction Browsers
    Starting gene(s)
    Interaction type
    Interacting gene(s)
    Reference
    Starting gene(s)
    Interaction type
    Interacting gene(s)
    Reference
    External Data
    Linkouts
    DroID - A comprehensive database of gene and protein interactions.
    Pathways
    Signaling Pathways (FlyBase)
    Metabolic Pathways
    FlyBase
    OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
    External Links
    KEGG Metabolic Pathways - A collection of manually drawn metabolic pathway maps representing knowledge of molecular interaction, reaction and relation networks.
    Reactome Metabolic Pathways - An open-source, open access, manually curated and peer-reviewed metabolic pathway database.
    External Data
    Linkouts
    KEGG Pathways - A collection of manually drawn pathway maps representing knowledge of molecular interaction, reaction and relation networks.
    Reactome - An open-source, open access, manually curated and peer-reviewed pathway database.
    Class of Gene
    Genomic Location and Detailed Mapping Data
    Chromosome (arm)
    3L
    Recombination map
    3-47
    Cytogenetic map
    78D5-78D5
    Sequence location
    FlyBase Computed Cytological Location
    Cytogenetic map
    Evidence for location
    78D5-78D5
    Limits computationally determined from genome sequence between P{lacW}l(3)j1B10j1B10 and P{lacW}l(3)j2C4j2C4
    Experimentally Determined Cytological Location
    Cytogenetic map
    Notes
    References
    78E-78E
    (Szlanka et al., 2003)
    78F-78F
    (determined by in situ hybridisation)
    (Deak et al., 1997)
    Experimentally Determined Recombination Data
    Location

    3-47

    (FlyBase, 2016)

    3-43.8

    (Comeron et al., 2012)
    Left of (cM)
    Right of (cM)
    Notes
    Stocks and Reagents
    Stocks (5)
    Genomic Clones (20)
    cDNA Clones (55)
     

    Please Note This section lists cDNAs and ESTs that fall within the genomic extent of the gene model, which may include cDNAs and ESTs of genes within introns, or of overlapping genes. Please see JBrowse for alignment of the cDNAs and ESTs to the gene model.

    cDNA clones, fully sequenced
    BDGP DGC clones
    Other clones
      Drosophila Genomics Resource Center cDNA clones

      For each fully sequenced cDNA the DGRC maintains various forms of the cDNA (e.g tagged or untagged) in several different host vectors for subsequent cloning and expression in Drosophila and Drosophila cell lines.

      cDNA Clones, End Sequenced (ESTs)
      BDGP DGC clones
      Other clones
      RNAi and Array Information
      Linkouts
      Antibody Information
      Laboratory Generated Antibodies
       

      polyclonal

      (Ren et al., 2010)
      Commercially Available Antibodies
       
      Cell Line Information
      Publicly Available Cell Lines
       
        Other Stable Cell Lines
         
          Other Comments

          Area matching Drosophila ESTS AI292722 and AI534704 (inverted).

          (Davies, 2001.3.15)
          Relationship to Other Genes
          Source for database merge of

          Source for merge of: CG7181 anon-WO0118547.331

          (FlyBase, 1996-)

          Source for merge of: CG7181 BcDNA:GH15688

          (FlyBase, 1996-)

          Source for merge of: CoVIII l(3)S055418

          (FlyBase, 1996-)
          Additional comments

          Source for merge of CG7181 anon-WO0118547.331 was sequence comparison ( date:051113 ).

          (FlyBase, 1996-)

          Source for merge of CG7181 BcDNA:GH15688 was a shared cDNA ( date:030728 ).

          (FlyBase, 1996-)
          Nomenclature History
          Source for database identify of

          Source for identity of: CoVIII CG7181

          (Ren et al., 2010)

          Source for identity of: COX8 CoVIII

          (Porcelli and Marygold, 2014.9.16)
          Nomenclature comments
          Etymology
          Synonyms and Secondary IDs (15)
          Reported As
          Symbol Synonym
          0554/18
          (Szlanka et al., 2003, Deak et al., 1997)
          BcDNA:GH15688
          CG7181
          (Curcio et al., 2024, Hosono et al., 2015, Porcelli et al., 2010, Keleman et al., 2009.8.5, Perkins et al., 2009)
          COX8
          (Curcio et al., 2024, Meyer et al., 2024, Salminen et al., 2024, Ren et al., 2023, Brischigliaro et al., 2022, Ding et al., 2022, Gene Disruption Project members, 2018-, Porcelli and Marygold, 2014.9.16)
          CcO VIIc
          (Klichko et al., 2014)
          CoVIII
          (Katsuyama et al., 2015)
          VIII
          (Ren et al., 2010, Szuplewski and Terracol, 2001)
          anon-WO0118547.331
          cox8
          (Akagi et al., 2025)
          l(3)S055418
          Name Synonyms
          Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 8
          (Porcelli and Marygold, 2014.9.16)
          Cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIII
          Subunit VIII
          (Ren et al., 2010)
          cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIII
          (Tsui et al., 2016)
          lethal (3) S055418
          Secondary FlyBase IDs
          • FBgn0037097
          • FBgn0062088
          • FBgn0063245
          • FBgn0060806
          Datasets (0)
          Study focus (0)
          Experimental Role
          Project
          Project Type
          Title
          Study result (0)
          Result
          Result Type
          Title
          External Crossreferences and Linkouts ( 40 )
          Sequence Crossreferences
          NCBI Gene - Gene integrates information from a wide range of species. A record may include nomenclature, Reference Sequences (RefSeqs), maps, pathways, variations, phenotypes, and links to genome-, phenotype-, and locus-specific resources worldwide.
          GenBank Nucleotide - A collection of sequences from several sources, including GenBank, RefSeq, TPA, and PDB.
          GenBank Protein - A collection of sequences from several sources, including translations from annotated coding regions in GenBank, RefSeq and TPA, as well as records from SwissProt, PIR, PRF, and PDB.
          RefSeq - A comprehensive, integrated, non-redundant, well-annotated set of reference sequences including genomic, transcript, and protein.
          UniProt/GCRP - The gene-centric reference proteome (GCRP) provides a 1:1 mapping between genes and UniProt accessions in which a single 'canonical' isoform represents the product(s) of each protein-coding gene.
          UniProt/TrEMBL - Automatically annotated and unreviewed records of protein sequence and functional information
          Other crossreferences
          AlphaFold DB - AlphaFold provides open access to protein structure predictions for the human proteome and other key proteins of interest, to accelerate scientific research.
          DRscDB - A single-cell RNA-seq resource for data mining and data comparison across species
          EMBL-EBI Single Cell Expression Atlas - Single cell expression across species
          FlyAtlas2 - A Drosophila melanogaster expression atlas with RNA-Seq, miRNA-Seq and sex-specific data
          InterPro - A database of protein families, domains and functional sites
          KEGG Genes - Molecular building blocks of life in the genomic space.
          MARRVEL_MODEL - MARRVEL (model organism gene)
          Linkouts
          Drosophila Genomics Resource Center - Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (DGRC) cDNA clones
          DroID - A comprehensive database of gene and protein interactions.
          FlyAtlas - Adult expression by tissue, using Affymetrix Dros2 array
          FlyCyc Genes - Genes from a BioCyc PGDB for Dmel
          Fly-FISH - A database of Drosophila embryo and larvae mRNA localization patterns
          FlyMet - A comprehensive tissue-specific metabolomics resource for Drosophila.
          iBeetle-Base - RNAi phenotypes in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)
          KEGG Metabolic Pathways - A collection of manually drawn metabolic pathway maps representing knowledge of molecular interaction, reaction and relation networks.
          KEGG Pathways - A collection of manually drawn pathway maps representing knowledge of molecular interaction, reaction and relation networks.
          Reactome - An open-source, open access, manually curated and peer-reviewed pathway database.
          Reactome Metabolic Pathways - An open-source, open access, manually curated and peer-reviewed metabolic pathway database.
          References (49)