ATF3 Gene: Activating Transcription Factor 3
A stress-inducible transcription factor involved in cellular stress response, cell cycle regulation, and tumorigenesis.
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | ATF3 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Activating transcription factor 3 |
| Gene Type | protein-coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 1q32.3 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 467 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/467 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000162772 |
| UniProt ID | P18847 |
| OMIM ID | 603148 |
| HGNC ID | 785 |
| Aliases | Activating transcription factor 3; cyclic AMP-dependent transcription factor ATF-3; transcription factor LRG-21 |
Description
ATF3 encodes a member of the mammalian activation transcription factor/cAMP responsive element-binding (CREB) protein family of transcription factors. The protein binds to the cAMP response element (CRE) consensus sequence and represses transcription from promoters with ATF sites. It is induced by a variety of stresses, including serum starvation, genotoxic agents, and oxidative stress, and plays a role in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and immune response. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer (various types) | ATF3 can act as either a tumor suppressor or oncogene depending on cellular context; it regulates genes involved in cell cycle, apoptosis, and metastasis. | PubMed: 30042189; 28966024 |
| Cardiovascular diseases | ATF3 is induced in cardiac stress and may regulate inflammatory responses and apoptosis in heart tissue. | PubMed: 28424212 |
| Inflammatory diseases | ATF3 modulates immune responses by regulating cytokine expression in macrophages and other immune cells. | PubMed: 28559347 |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Lung | 10.2 | Low |
| Liver | 8.5 | Low |
| Kidney | 7.8 | Low |
| Heart | 6.4 | Low |
| Brain | 5.1 | Low |
| Testis | 4.3 | Low |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A549 (Lung carcinoma) | 12.5 | Induced by stress |
| HepG2 (Liver carcinoma) | 9.8 | Basal expression |
| MCF7 (Breast carcinoma) | 7.2 | Low basal |
| HeLa (Cervical carcinoma) | 6.9 | Induced by stress |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.1A>G (p.Met1Val) | Missense | Rare | Potential loss of function |
| c.100C>T (p.Arg34Trp) | Missense | Rare | Unknown |
| c.200delA (p.Lys67Argfs*23) | Frameshift | Rare | Loss of function |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Frameshift and nonsense mutations that truncate the protein are likely to cause loss of function, impairing its transcriptional regulatory activity.
Gain of Function (GOF)
No clear gain-of-function mutations have been reported; overexpression of wild-type ATF3 is more common in cancer.
Dominant Negative (DN)
Some truncated isoforms may act as dominant-negative by competing with full-length ATF3 for DNA binding.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • DNA-binding transcription factor activity | • RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding |
| • protein dimerization activity | • regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II |
| • cellular response to stress | • apoptotic process |
| • cell cycle |
Pathways
• ATF3 activates and represses transcription via the cAMP response element (CRE) and ATF sites
• Regulates cell cycle and apoptosis in response to stress
• Involved in TLR signaling and inflammatory response
Protein Summary
ATF3 is a 181-amino acid protein with a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain that mediates DNA binding and dimerization. It forms homodimers or heterodimers with other bZIP proteins (e.g., JUN, FOS) to regulate gene expression. Under normal conditions, ATF3 levels are low, but it is rapidly induced by various stressors. It can act as a transcriptional repressor or activator depending on the promoter context and interacting partners. Post-translational modifications include ubiquitination and phosphorylation, which affect its stability and activity.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATF3 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ3869 | Human | 467 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF3 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ12518 | Human | 55509 | Details Get a Quote |
| ATF3 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ26070 | Human | 467 | Details Get a Quote |
| ATF3 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ26071 | Human | 467 | Details Get a Quote |
| ATF3 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ26072 | Human | 467 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF3 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ41501 | Human | 55509 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF3 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ41502 | Human | 55509 | Details Get a Quote |
| BATF3 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ41503 | Human | 55509 | Details Get a Quote |
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