Molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis is a conserved pathway leading to the biological activation of molybdenum. The protein encoded by this gene is involved in this pathway. This gene was originally thought to produce a bicistronic mRNA with the potential to produce two proteins (MOCS1A and MOCS1B) from adjacent open reading frames. However, only the first open reading frame (MOCS1A) has been found to encode a protein from the putative bicistronic mRNA, whereas additional splice variants, whose full-length natures have yet to be determined, are likely to produce a fusion between the two open reading frames. This gene is defective in patients with molybdenum cofactor deficiency, type A. A related pseudogene has been identified on chromosome 16.