TCF21
Description
The TCF21 (transcription factor 21) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 6.
Transcription factor 21 (TCF21), also known as pod-1, capsuling, or epicardin, is a protein encoded by the TCF21 gene on chromosome 6 in humans. It is expressed in various tissues and cell types, with high levels in the lung and placenta. TCF21 plays a crucial role in the development of several cell types during the embryonic stages of the heart, lung, kidney, and spleen. It is also deregulated in several types of cancer, suggesting its function as a tumor suppressor. The TCF21 gene has one of 27 SNPs linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease.
TCF21 was discovered in 1998 during a search for novel cell-type-specific bHLH proteins expressed in human and mouse kidneys. The search was conducted using expressed sequence tag (EST) databases. Because the discovered transcript was highly expressed in visceral glomerular epithelial cells (podocytes), TCF21 was initially called Pod-1. Comparison of Pod-1 with known bHLH proteins revealed it as a novel member of a subfamily with important roles in mesodermal development. The chromosomal location of Pod-1 in mice was determined using an interspecific backcross panel and genomic Southern blot analysis to identify restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) between inbred mouse strains. Analysis revealed Pod-1 mapping to a region of mouse chromosome 10 that is syntenic with human chromosome 6q23-q24.
TCF21 is also known as POD1, bHLHa23.
