BackgroundVoltage-dependent anion selective channels (VDACs) are the most abundant mitochondrial outer membrane proteins, encoded in mammals by three genes,VDAC1,2and3, mostly ubiquitously expressed. As 'mitochondrial gatekeepers',VDACscontrol organelle and cell metabolism and are involved in many diseases. Despite the presence of numerousVDACpseudogenes in the human genome, their significance and possible role in VDAC protein expression has not yet been considered.ResultsWe investigated the relevance of processed pseudogenes of humanVDACgenes,both in physiological and in pathological contexts. Using high-throughput tools and querying many genomic and transcriptomic databases, we show that someVDACpseudogenes are transcribed in specific tissues and pathological contexts. The obtained experimental data confirm an association of theVDAC1P8pseudogene with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).ConclusionsOurin-silicocomparative analysis between theVDAC1gene and itsVDAC1P8pseudogene, together with experimental data produced in AML cellular models, indicate a specific over-expression of theVDAC1P8pseudogene in AML, correlated with a downregulation of the parentalVDAC1gene.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40659-023-00446-1.