The mitochondrial respiratory chain provides energy to cells via oxidative phosphorylation and consists of four membrane-bound electron-transporting protein complexes (I-IV) and an ATP synthase (complex V). This gene encodes a 51 kDa subunit of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex I; a large complex with at least 45 nuclear and mitochondrial encoded subunits that liberates electrons from NADH and channels them to ubiquinone. This subunit carries the NADH-binding site as well as flavin mononucleotide (FMN)- and Fe-S-biding sites. Defects in complex I are a common cause of mitochondrial dysfunction; a syndrome that occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 live births. Mitochondrial complex I deficiency is linked to myopathies, encephalomyopathies, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Leigh syndrome. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms.[provided by RefSeq, Oct 2009]