ND4L Background Information NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) is an extremely complicated multiprotein complex located in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Human complex I is important for energy metabolism because its main function is to transport electrons from NADH to ubiquinone, which is accompanied by translocation of protons from the mitochondrial matrix to the intermembrane space. Human complex I appears to consist of 41 subunits. A small number of complex I subunits are the products of mitochondrial genes (subunits 1-7), while the remainder are nuclear encoded and imported from the cytoplasm. NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4L (ND4L) is most likely a component of the hydrophobic protein fragment of Complex I. Mutations in the gene encodiing for ND4 are implicated in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, a rare condition that can cause loss of central vision.
