Mammalian cytochrome c oxidase (COX) catalyzes the transfer of reducing equivalents from cytochrome c to molecular oxygen and pumps protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. In yeast, 2 related COX assembly genes, SCO1 and SCO2 (synthesis of cytochrome c oxidase), enable subunits 1 and 2 to be incorporated into the holoprotein. This gene is the human homolog to the yeast SCO1 gene. Recombinant human SCO1 protein , fused to His-tag at C-terminus, was expressed in E.coli and purified by using conventional chromatography techniques.