Transcriptional regulator ERG is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the ERG gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

 (Ets Related Gene). ERG is a member of the ETS family

ETS transcription factor family

In the field of molecular biology, the ETS family is one of the largest families of transcription factors and is unique to metazoans. There are 29 genes in humans, 28 in the mouse, 10 in Caenorhabditis elegans and 9 in Drosophila. The founding member of this family was identified as a gene...

 of transcription factor

Transcription factor

In molecular biology and genetics, a transcription factor is a protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, thereby controlling the flow of genetic information from DNA to mRNA...

s.

Function

Transcriptional regulator ERG is a nuclear protein that binds purine

Purine

A purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines, including substituted purines and their tautomers, are the most widely distributed kind of nitrogen-containing heterocycle in nature....

-rich sequences. ERG is expressed at higher levels in early myelocyte

Myelocyte

A myelocyte is a young cell of the granulocytic series, occurring normally in bone marrow, but not in circulating blood .-Histology:...

s than in mature lymphocyte

Lymphocyte

A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system.Under the microscope, lymphocytes can be divided into large lymphocytes and small lymphocytes. Large granular lymphocytes include natural killer cells...

s. Therefore ERG may act as a regulator of differentiation of early hematopoietic cells. Erg gene is vitally important to blood stem cells' unique ability to self-renew could give scientists new opportunities to use blood stem cells for tissue repair, transplantation and other therapeutic applications.

The Mld2 mutation generated through an ENU mutagenesis screen, was the first non-functional allele of Erg. Homozygous Mld2 is embryonic lethal at day 13.5. Adult mice heterozygous for the Mld2 mutation have hematopoietic stem cell defects.
DNA binding protein ERG fuses with RNA binding proteins EWS and TLS/FUS in Ewing Sarcoma and Acute Myeloid Leukemias respectively and function as transcriptional activators. . ERG and it's fusion proteins EWS-ERG and TLS/FUS-ERG inhibit apoptosis.

TMPRSS2 gene fusion

ERG can fuse with TMPRSS2

TMPRSS2

Transmembrane protease, serine 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the TMPRSS2 gene.-ERG Gene Fusion:TMPRSS2 protein's function in prostate carcinogenesis relies on overexpression of ETS transcription factors, such as ERG and ETV1 through gene fusion. TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene is the most...

 protein to form an oncogenic fusion gene

Fusion gene

A fusion gene is a hybrid gene formed from two previously separate genes. It can occur as the result of a translocation, interstitial deletion, or chromosomal inversion...

 that is commonly found in human prostate cancer, especially in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. This suggests that ERG overexpression may contribute to development of androgen-independence in prostate cancer through disruption of androgen receptor

Androgen receptor

The androgen receptor , also known as NR3C4 , is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by binding of either of the androgenic hormones testosterone or dihydrotestosterone in the cytoplasm and then translocating into the nucleus...

 signaling.

Interactions

ERG (gene) has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with:

• C-jun
  C-jun
  c-Jun is the name of a gene and protein that, in combination with c-Fos, forms the AP-1 early response transcription factor. It was first identified as the Fos-binding protein p39 and only later rediscovered as the product of the c-jun gene. It is activated through double phosphorylation by the...
  
  ,
• ETS2
  ETS2
  Protein C-ets-2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ETS2 gene. The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the ETS family of transcription factors.-Interactions:...
  
  , and
• TMPRSS2
  TMPRSS2
  Transmembrane protease, serine 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the TMPRSS2 gene.-ERG Gene Fusion:TMPRSS2 protein's function in prostate carcinogenesis relies on overexpression of ETS transcription factors, such as ERG and ETV1 through gene fusion. TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene is the most...
  
  .
• EWSR1
  Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1
  RNA-binding protein EWS is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EWSR1 gene.-Interactions:Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 has been shown to interact with POU4F1, SF1, BARD1, Small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide C, PTK2B and Zinc finger protein 165.ERG, ATF-1,-External links:* on the...
  
  ,
• TLS
  FUS
  RNA-binding protein FUS is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FUS gene.- Function :The N-terminal end of FUS appears to be involved in transcriptional activation, while the C-terminal end is involved in protein and RNA binding...
  
  .

External links