Alternative titles; symbols
HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: ZSCAN21
Cytogenetic location: 7q22.1 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38): 7:100,049,774-100,065,040 (from NCBI)
ZSCAN21 is a transcription factor that contains zinc finger and SCAN domains and may play a regulatory role in transcription of alpha-synuclein (SNCA; 163890) (Dermentzaki et al., 2016).
Using immunoprecipitation, Brenner et al. (2015) detected ZSCAN21 expression in all human brain regions investigated.
By Western blot analysis, Dermentzaki et al. (2016) detected a 63-kD rat Zscan21 protein in all brain regions examined. Expression was higher in embryonic than adult rat brain.
By isotopic in situ hybridization, Rousseau-Merck et al. (1995) demonstrated that the KOX25 gene is located on chromosome 7q21-q22. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis data indicated that KOX25 is within 250 kb of KOX18 (601260). Rousseau-Merck et al. (1995) tabulated 18 different KOX genes that had been located in pairs within 9 DNA fragments of 200 to 580 kb on 7 different chromosomes.
Gross (2016) mapped the ZSCAN21 gene to chromosome 7q22.1 based on an alignment of the ZSCAN21 sequence (GenBank BC047309) with the genomic sequence (GRCh38).
Brenner et al. (2015) identified 11 putative binding sites for GATA2 (137295), 4 for CEBPB (189965), and 2 for ZSCAN21 in the promoter region of the human SNCA gene. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis and EMSA of human brain nuclear extracts confirmed highly specific binding of GATA2 to a specific region within SNCA intron 2, and of ZSCAN21 to a single region within SNCA intron 1.
Dermentzaki et al. (2016) found that knockdown of Zscan21 resulted in upregulation Snca mRNA and protein in rat primary neuronal cultures. ChIP and immunoprecipitation analysis showed that Zscan21 was recruited to intron 1 of the Snca gene in rat cortical neuronal cultures. Overexpression of Zscan21 in rat cortical neuronal cultures led to robust Zscan21 mRNA expression but negligible protein expression, and consequently had little effect on Snca expression. Knockdown of Zscan21 in adult rat hippocampus in vivo had no detectable effect on Snca expression.
Brenner, S., Wersinger, C., Gasser, T. Transcriptional regulation of the alpha-synuclein gene in human brain tissue. Neurosci. Lett. 599: 140-145, 2015. [PubMed: 26002080] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2015.05.029]
Dermentzaki, G., Paschalidis, N., Politis, P. K., Stefanis, L. Complex effects of the ZSCAN21 transcription factor on transcriptional regulation of alpha-synuclein in primary neuronal cultures and in vivo. J. Biol. Chem. 291: 8756-8772, 2016. [PubMed: 26907683] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M115.704973]
Gross, M. B. Personal Communication. Baltimore, Md. 4/19/2016.
Rousseau-Merck, M.-F., Duro, D., Berger, R., Thiesen, H. J. Chromosomal localization of two KOX zinc finger genes on chromosome bands 7q21-q22. Ann. Genet. 38: 81-84, 1995. [PubMed: 7486829]