Latchman D S
Department of Molecular Pathology, Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, University College London, UK.
Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 1998 Nov;30(11):1153-7. doi: 10.1016/s1357-2725(98)00090-9.
Brn-3a is a member of the POU family of transcription factors which is expressed predominantly in neuronal cells. It exists in two forms, with the long form containing 84 amino acids at the N-terminus which are lacking in the short form. The N-terminal domain unique to the long form allows it to induce expression of the Bcl-2 gene and protect neuronal cells from apoptosis whereas the C-terminal POU domain common to both forms is sufficient for activating a number of other neuronally expressed genes and stimulating neuronal process outgrowth. These effects of Brn-3a suggest that manipulation of its expression by pharmacological or gene therapy procedures may be of benefit in human neurological diseases.
Brn-3a是POU转录因子家族的成员，主要在神经元细胞中表达。它以两种形式存在，长形式在N端含有84个氨基酸，而短形式则没有。长形式特有的N端结构域使其能够诱导Bcl-2基因的表达，并保护神经元细胞免于凋亡，而两种形式共有的C端POU结构域足以激活许多其他神经元表达的基因，并刺激神经元突起生长。Brn-3a的这些作用表明，通过药理学或基因治疗方法操纵其表达可能对人类神经疾病有益。
