Previous studies have shown that inactivation of NDUFA4L2 led to ROS accumulation and increased apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Lai et al. 2016), while upregulation of NDUFA4L2 attenuated oxidative stress associated with intervertebral disc degeneration (Liu et al. 2021). The gene discussed is COXFA4L2; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.