TBRG4 is a mitochondrial protein that serves dual roles in cellular metabolism and cancer progression. Functionally, TBRG4 processes mitochondrial RNA precursors and stabilizes mature mitochondrial transcripts including MT-CO1, MT-CO2, MT-CYB, and MT-ND genes 1. Beyond its canonical mitochondrial role, TBRG4 regulates cell cycle progression and maintains mitochondrial homeostasis by interacting with Beclin1 to promote autophagy through reduced ubiquitination 1. TBRG4 also functions as a cellular repressor of gammaherpesvirus reactivation by regulating reactive oxygen species production in mitochondria 2. Clinically, TBRG4 is upregulated in multiple malignancies including lung cancer, osteosarcoma, and pancreatic cancer, correlating with poor prognosis 34. In lung cancer, TBRG4 knockdown inhibits proliferation, induces cell cycle arrest, and reduces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker expression via deregulation of DDIT3, CAV1, and RRM2 53. In pancreatic cancer, TBRG4 promotes migration and invasion through TGF-β/Smad3 pathway activation 6. Conversely, TBRG4 downregulation in intervertebral disc degeneration impairs autophagy and mitochondrial function, suggesting disease-specific roles 1. These findings establish TBRG4 as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target across multiple cancer types and degenerative diseases.