Basonuclin, a zinc finger protein associated with epithelial expansion and proliferation.

Basonuclin is a zinc finger protein first described as a keratinoycte specific protein present in various stratified squamous epithelia found in epidermis, esophagis, cornea and virgina. Recent studies showed that its distribution also includes the germ cells of testis and ovary. The presence of basonuclin appeared always related to the cellular proliferative ability not just cell division, for it was found both in dividing and quiescent cells. Basonuclin disappeared when a cell became post-mitotic. This review examines the latest findings about the distribution, molecular and cellular biology of basonuclin and discusses its possible role in cell proliferation.