Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, Prague 4 14220, Czech Republic.
Department of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, Prague 4 14220, Czech Republic.
Cancers (Basel). 2016 Jul 20;8(7):70. doi: 10.3390/cancers8070070.
T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (TCF/LEF) proteins (TCFs) from the High Mobility Group (HMG) box family act as the main downstream effectors of the Wnt signaling pathway. The mammalian TCF/LEF family comprises four nuclear factors designated TCF7, LEF1, TCF7L1, and TCF7L2 (also known as TCF1, LEF1, TCF3, and TCF4, respectively). The proteins display common structural features and are often expressed in overlapping patterns implying their redundancy. Such redundancy was indeed observed in gene targeting studies; however, individual family members also exhibit unique features that are not recapitulated by the related proteins. In the present viewpoint, we summarized our current knowledge about the specific features of individual TCFs, namely structural-functional studies, posttranslational modifications, interacting partners, and phenotypes obtained upon gene targeting in the mouse. In addition, we employed several publicly available databases and web tools to evaluate the expression patterns and production of gene-specific isoforms of the TCF/LEF family members in human cells and tissues.
T 细胞因子/淋巴增强因子结合蛋白（TCF/LEF）蛋白（TCFs）属于高迁移率族（HMG）盒家族，作为 Wnt 信号通路的主要下游效应物发挥作用。哺乳动物 TCF/LEF 家族由四个核因子组成，分别命名为 TCF7、LEF1、TCF7L1 和 TCF7L2（也分别称为 TCF1、LEF1、TCF3 和 TCF4）。这些蛋白具有共同的结构特征，且通常以重叠的模式表达，暗示它们具有冗余性。在基因靶向研究中确实观察到了这种冗余性；然而，个别家族成员也表现出独特的特征，这些特征无法由相关蛋白重现。在本观点中，我们总结了我们目前对单个 TCF 特定特征的了解，即结构-功能研究、翻译后修饰、相互作用伙伴以及在小鼠中基因靶向获得的表型。此外，我们还使用了几个公开可用的数据库和网络工具来评估 TCF/LEF 家族成员在人类细胞和组织中的表达模式和基因特异性异构体的产生。
