Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''ZEB1''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
ZEB1 (previously known as TCF8) encodes a
zinc finger
A zinc finger is a small protein structural motif that is characterized by the coordination of one or more zinc ions (Zn2+) in order to stabilize the fold. It was originally coined to describe the finger-like appearance of a hypothesized struct ...
and
homeodomain
A homeobox is a DNA sequence, around 180 base pairs long, that regulates large-scale anatomical features in the early stages of embryonic development. For instance, mutations in a homeobox may change large-scale anatomical features of the full ...
transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding to a specific DNA sequence. The f ...
that represses T-lymphocyte-specific
IL2 gene expression by binding to a negative regulatory domain 100 nucleotides 5-prime of the IL2
transcription start site
Transcription is the process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA. The segments of DNA transcribed into RNA molecules that can encode proteins are said to produce messenger RNA (mRNA). Other segments of DNA are copied into RNA molecules calle ...
.
ZEB1 and its mammalian paralog
ZEB2
Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''ZEB2'' gene. The ZEB2 protein is a transcription factor that plays a role in the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathways that are essential durin ...
belongs to the Zeb family within the ZF (zinc finger) class of homeodomain transcription factors. ZEB1 protein has 7 zinc fingers and 1 homeodomain.
The structure of the homeodomain is shown on the right.
Clinical significance
Mutations of the gene are linked to
posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy 3. ZEB1 downregulates
E-cadherin
Cadherin-1 or Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), (not to be confused with the APC/C activator protein CDH1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CDH1'' gene. Mutations are correlated with gastric, breast, colorectal, thyroid, and ovari ...
and induces
epithelial to mesenchymal transition in breast and other carcinomas.
A recent study suggested its contributing role in
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...
invasiveness and metastasis development.
ZEB1 contributes to bone-specific metastasis of breast carcinomas by inactivating BMP signaling through the induction of the expression of BMP-inhibitors.
References
Further reading
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External links
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Transcription factors
{{Gene-10-stub