HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: ZNF304
Cytogenetic location: 19q13.43 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38) : 19:57,351,271-57,359,898 (from NCBI)
ZNF304 belongs to a diverse family of zinc finger DNA-binding proteins that predominantly repress gene transcription (Sabater et al., 2002).
Using differential display to identify sequences containing AU motifs, followed 5-prime RACE, Sabater et al. (2002) cloned ZNF304 from a human thymus cDNA library. The transcript contains a tandem AU sequence in its 3-prime end. The deduced 659-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 75 kD. It has an N-terminal KRAB-A box and 13 C-terminal C2H2-type zinc finger motifs. Northern blot analysis detected variable expression of a 4.3-kb ZNF304 transcript in all tissues examined. Real-time PCR found highest expression in lymph node, Jurkat human T cells, and tonsil. Expression was moderate in thyroid, thymus, adrenal gland, prostate, pancreas, and skeletal muscle, and no expression was detected in esophagus, liver, lung, and kidney. ZNF304 was also detected in total peripheral blood lymphocytes and mononuclear adherent cells.
Using RT-PCR, Sabater et al. (2002) found that peripheral blood mononuclear cells expressed low basal levels of ZNF304. However, activation rapidly induced ZNF304 expression, which peaked at 6 hours, coincident with peak induction of IL10 (124092), IL4 (147780), and interferon-gamma (IFNG; 147570) mRNA. Sabater et al. (2002) concluded that ZNF304 plays a role in the early stage of cytokine production following lymphocyte activation.
Sabater et al. (2002) determined that the ZNF304 gene contains at least 3 exons. The promoter region lacks a TATA box, but it has several putative binding sites for SP1 (189906) and other transcription factors.
By genomic sequence analysis, Sabater et al. (2002) mapped the ZNF304 gene to chromosome 19q13.43, which contains a large cluster of ZNF genes.
Sabater, L., Ashhab, Y., Caro, P., Kolkowski, E. C., Pujol-Borrell, R., Dominguez, O. Identification of a KRAB-containing zinc finger protein, ZNF304, by AU-motif-directed display method and initial characterization in lymphocyte activation. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 293: 1066-1072, 2002. [PubMed: 12051768] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-291X(02)00344-3]