The Biological Significance of AFF4: Promoting Transcription Elongation, Osteogenic Differentiation and Tumor Progression

• Published in: Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening Vol. 27; no. 10; p. 1403
• Main Authors: Long, Qian, Xiang, Mingli, Xiao, Linlin, Wang, Jiajia, Guan, Xiaoyan, Liu, Jianguo, Liao, Chengcheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United Arab Emirates 01-01-2024
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Disease Progression; Humans; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - pathology; Osteogenesis - drug effects; Transcription Elongation, Genetic; Transcriptional Elongation Factors - metabolism; SEC; transcription elongation; tumor progression; AFF4; osteogenic differentiation; tumor
• ISSN: 1875-5402
• DOI: 10.2174/0113862073241079230920082056

As a member of the AF4/FMR2 (AFF) family, AFF4 is a scaffold protein in the superelongation complex (SEC). In this mini-view, we discuss the role of AFF4 as a transcription elongation factor that mediates HIV activation and replication and stem cell osteogenic differentiation. AFF4 also promotes the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, leukemia, breast cancer, bladder cancer and other malignant tumors. The biological function of AFF4 is largely achieved through SEC assembly, regulates SRY-box transcription factor 2 (SOX2), MYC, estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1), inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1), c-Jun and noncanonical nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription and combines with fusion in sarcoma (FUS), unique regulatory cyclins (CycT1), or mixed lineage leukemia (MLL). We explore the prospects of using AFF4 as a therapeutic in Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and malignant tumors and its potential as a stemness regulator.