ATF2: Activating Transcription Factor 2
A key transcription factor in stress response, cell cycle, and tumorigenesis
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | ATF2 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Activating Transcription Factor 2 |
| Gene Type | Protein coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 2q31.1 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 1386 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1386 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000115966 |
| UniProt ID | P15336 |
| OMIM ID | 123811 |
| HGNC ID | 784 |
| Aliases | CREB2, CRE-BP1, HB16 |
Description
ATF2 (Activating Transcription Factor 2) encodes a transcription factor that belongs to the leucine zipper family of DNA-binding proteins. It binds to the cAMP response element (CRE) and activates transcription in response to cellular stress, growth factors, and cytokines. ATF2 is involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and DNA damage repair. It is phosphorylated and activated by MAP kinases (JNK and p38). Dysregulation of ATF2 is implicated in various cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammatory disorders.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Colorectal Cancer | ATF2 overexpression promotes tumor growth and metastasis via transcriptional activation of MMPs and cyclin D1 | PMID: 19029980 |
| Melanoma | ATF2 nuclear localization correlates with poor prognosis; loss of ATF2 function reduces tumorigenicity | PMID: 17297442 |
| Breast Cancer | ATF2 regulates estrogen receptor signaling and cell proliferation | PMID: 21502524 |
| Huntington Disease | ATF2 interacts with mutant huntingtin protein, contributing to transcriptional dysregulation and neuronal toxicity | PMID: 10508522 |
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease | ATF2 mediates TNF-alpha induced inflammatory responses in intestinal epithelial cells | PMID: 20628056 |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Brain | 12.5 | Medium |
| Heart | 8.3 | Low |
| Liver | 6.1 | Low |
| Lung | 9.7 | Low |
| Kidney | 7.4 | Low |
| Testis | 15.2 | Medium |
| Colon | 11.8 | Medium |
| Breast | 10.1 | Medium |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HeLa | 14.5 | Cervical cancer cell line |
| A549 | 11.2 | Lung adenocarcinoma cell line |
| MCF7 | 13.8 | Breast cancer cell line |
| HEK293 | 9.6 | Embryonic kidney cell line |
| HCT116 | 12.3 | Colorectal carcinoma cell line |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.100C>T (p.Arg34Trp) | Missense | <0.01% | Altered DNA-binding affinity; reported in COSMIC |
| c.457G>A (p.Glu153Lys) | Missense | <0.01% | Potential gain-of-function in melanoma |
| c.832_833insA (p.Thr278Asnfs*5) | Frameshift | <0.01% | Loss of function; truncation of bZIP domain |
| c.1234C>T (p.Arg412*) | Nonsense | <0.01% | Premature stop; loss of transactivation domain |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Frameshift and nonsense mutations in the bZIP or transactivation domains result in loss of DNA binding and transcriptional activity.
Gain of Function (GOF)
Missense mutations in the N-terminal transactivation domain (e.g., p.Glu153Lys) may enhance ATF2 stability or phosphorylation, leading to increased oncogenic signaling.
Dominant Negative (DN)
Truncated ATF2 isoforms lacking the C-terminal domain can dimerize with wild-type ATF2 or other bZIP proteins, inhibiting normal transcription.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
Pathways
• MAPK signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04010)
• TNF signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04668)
• p53 signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04115)
• IL-17 signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04657)
• Transcriptional misregulation in cancer (KEGG: hsa05202)
Protein Summary
ATF2 is a 505-amino acid protein with an N-terminal transactivation domain and a C-terminal basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain. It forms homodimers or heterodimers with other bZIP proteins (e.g., c-Jun, ATF3) to regulate gene expression. Phosphorylation at Thr69 and Thr71 by JNK or p38 MAP kinases enhances its transcriptional activity. ATF2 is ubiquitously expressed and shuttles between nucleus and cytoplasm. It plays dual roles in tumor suppression and promotion depending on cellular context.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BATF2 Knockout HEK293T Cell Line | EDJ-KQ154 | Human | 116071 | Details Get a Quote |
| ATF2 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ610 | Human | 1386 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF2 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ12517 | Human | 116071 | Details Get a Quote |
| ATF2 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ18041 | Human | 1386 | Details Get a Quote |
| ATF2 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19068 | Human | 1386 | Details Get a Quote |
| ATF2 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19069 | Human | 1386 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF2 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ41500 | Human | 116071 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF2 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ57967 | Human | 116071 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF2 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ66457 | Human | 116071 | Details Get a Quote |
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