CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), epsilon, also known as CEBPE and CRP1, is a type of
ccaat-enhancer-binding protein. CEBPE is its human
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 ...
and is pro-
apoptotic
Apoptosis (from grc, ἀπόπτωσις, apóptōsis, 'falling off') is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes ( morphology) and death. These changes inc ...
.
The protein encoded by this gene is a
bZIP 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 fu ...
which can bind as a homodimer to certain DNA regulatory regions. It can also form heterodimers with the related protein
CEBP-δ. The encoded protein may be essential for terminal differentiation and functional maturation of committed
granulocyte
Granulocytes are
cells in the innate immune system characterized by the presence of specific granules in their cytoplasm. Such granules distinguish them from the various agranulocytes. All myeloblastic granulocytes are polymorphonuclear. They ...
progenitor cell
A progenitor cell is a biological cell that can differentiate into a specific cell type. Stem cells and progenitor cells have this ability in common. However, stem cells are less specified than progenitor cells. Progenitor cells can only differe ...
s. Mutations in this gene have been associated with
specific granule deficiency, a rare congenital disorder. Multiple variants of this gene have been described, but the full-length nature of only one has been determined.
References
Further reading
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{{Transcription factors, g1
Transcription factors