SOX2

1. 본문

SOX2, also known as SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 2, is a transcription factor that plays a crucial role in various biological processes. Here's a breakdown of its key aspects:
Function:

• Maintaining Pluripotency: SOX2 is essential for maintaining the self-renewal and pluripotency of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. This means it helps keep these cells in a state where they can develop into any cell type in the body.
• Embryonic Development: It's a critical factor during early embryogenesis, contributing to the formation of many tissues and organs, and is especially important for eye development. SOX2 regulates the activity of other genes involved in these developmental processes.
• Neural Stem Cells: SOX2 is a marker for multipotent neural stem cells, which can self-renew and differentiate into various neural cell types. It helps maintain these cells in an undifferentiated state, counteracting the activity of proteins that promote neuronal differentiation.
• Somatic Cell Reprogramming: SOX2 plays a role in reversing the epigenetic state of differentiated cells back to a pluripotent state, similar to embryonic stem cells.
• Trimeric Complex Formation: SOX2 forms a trimeric complex with OCT4 on DNA and influences the expression of several genes, for instance, YES1, FGF4, UTF1 and ZFP206 involved in embryonic development.

• Gene Location: In humans, the SOX2 gene is located on chromosome 3 (3q26.33).
• Protein Structure: SOX2 protein contains a high-mobility group (HMG) box domain, a highly conserved DNA-binding domain.
• Aliases: SOX2, ANOP3, MCOPS3, SRY-box 2

• Upregulated Factor: SOX2 can be upregulated in various cancers.
• Lung Cancer: SOX2 is a key upregulated factor in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Its overexpression can promote tumor progression in the lung. In small cell lung cancers, SOX2 expression is correlated with poor prognosis. Conversely, in lung squamous cell carcinoma, SOX2 has been indicated as a positive prognostic marker.
• Other Cancers: SOX2 has been associated with aggressive phenotypes and poor prognosis in breast, head and neck, gastric, colorectal, and bladder cancers. It's also found in high-grade prostate cancer and promotes castration-resistant prostate cancer growth. Its ectopic expression can be related to abnormal differentiation in colorectal cancer and it contributes to Tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer.

• Interaction with OCT4: SOX2 interacts with OCT4, another key transcription factor, to regulate gene expression in pluripotent stem cells. This interaction forms a binary complex that recruits other factors to activate genes promoting pluripotency while suppressing genes involved in differentiation.
• Neural Differentiation: In neural progenitor/stem cells, SOX2 may act as a switch and it interacts with neural transcription factors which activate the neural progenitor gene expression.