FOS Gene - FBJ Murine Osteosarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog
A key transcription factor in the AP-1 complex, regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis.
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | FOS |
|---|---|
| Full Name | FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog |
| Gene Type | Protein coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 14q24.3 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 2353 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2353 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000170345 |
| UniProt ID | P01100 |
| OMIM ID | 164810 |
| HGNC ID | 3796 |
| Aliases | c-Fos, AP-1, p55 |
Description
The FOS gene encodes a leucine zipper protein that dimerizes with JUN proteins to form the transcription factor complex AP-1. This complex regulates gene expression in response to extracellular signals, controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. FOS is an immediate early gene induced by growth factors, cytokines, and stress signals. Overexpression or mutation of FOS is implicated in various cancers and bone diseases.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Osteosarcoma | FOS overexpression due to viral insertion or amplification drives uncontrolled osteoblast proliferation | NCBI Gene, OMIM |
| Ewing sarcoma | FOS-ERG fusion (rare) leads to constitutive AP-1 activation | COSMIC, PubMed |
| Liposarcoma | FOS amplification and overexpression contribute to adipocyte dedifferentiation | COSMIC, NCBI Gene |
| Langerhans cell histiocytosis | FOS mutations (e.g., p.Lys114Glu) cause sustained AP-1 signaling | ClinVar, OMIM |
| Breast cancer | FOS overexpression correlates with poor prognosis and metastasis | NCBI Gene, COSMIC |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Bone marrow | 12.5 | Medium |
| Lymph node | 8.3 | Low |
| Spleen | 7.1 | Low |
| Lung | 4.2 | Low |
| Brain | 2.1 | Not detected |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| U2OS (osteosarcoma) | 45.2 | High expression |
| HeLa (cervical carcinoma) | 22.8 | Moderate expression |
| A549 (lung carcinoma) | 6.5 | Low expression |
| MCF7 (breast carcinoma) | 3.1 | Low expression |
| K562 (leukemia) | 1.2 | Not detected |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| p.Lys114Glu | Missense | <0.1% | Gain of function: increased AP-1 activity in Langerhans cell histiocytosis |
| p.Arg155Trp | Missense | <0.1% | Unknown functional effect |
| p.Gly63Ser | Missense | <0.1% | Unknown functional effect |
| Amplification | Copy number gain | 1-5% in osteosarcoma | Overexpression driving tumorigenesis |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Not commonly reported; FOS is primarily oncogenic via gain-of-function.
Gain of Function (GOF)
p.Lys114Glu and amplification increase AP-1 transcriptional activity, promoting cell proliferation.
Dominant Negative (DN)
Not described for FOS; dominant-negative effects are more typical of JUN family members.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
Pathways
• MAPK signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04010)
• Osteoclast differentiation (KEGG: hsa04380)
• IL-17 signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04657)
• TNF signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04668)
• AP-1 transcription factor network (Reactome: R-HSA-450341)
Protein Summary
The FOS protein (c-Fos) is a 380-amino acid transcription factor containing a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain. It heterodimerizes with JUN proteins to form the AP-1 complex, which binds to TPA-responsive elements (TRE) in DNA. c-Fos is rapidly induced by growth factors and stress signals, and its stability is regulated by phosphorylation and ubiquitination. Dysregulation of c-Fos contributes to oncogenesis, particularly in bone and soft tissue tumors.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOSL1 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ298 | Human | 8061 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOS Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ669 | Human | 2353 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSL2 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ1694 | Human | 2355 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSB Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ4621 | Human | 2354 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOS Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19195 | Human | 2353 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOS Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19196 | Human | 2353 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOS Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19197 | Human | 2353 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSL1 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ18416 | Human | 8061 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSL1 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ18417 | Human | 8061 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSL1 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ18418 | Human | 8061 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSL2 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ22822 | Human | 2355 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSL2 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ22824 | Human | 2355 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSL2 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ22825 | Human | 2355 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSB Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ27291 | Human | 2354 | Details Get a Quote |
| FOSB Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ27292 | Human | 2354 | Details Get a Quote |
