Protein atonal homolog 1 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''ATOH1''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Function
This protein belongs to the
basic helix-loop-helix (BHLH) family of
transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription (genetics), transcription of genetics, genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding t ...
s. It activates
E-box
An E-box (enhancer box) is a Response element, DNA response element found in some eukaryotes that acts as a protein-binding site and has been found to regulate gene expression in neurons, muscles, and other tissues. Its specific DNA sequence, CANNT ...
dependent transcription along with
TCF3
Transcription factor 3 (E2A immunoglobulin enhancer-binding factors E12/E47), also known as TCF3, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TCF3'' gene. TCF3 has been shown to directly enhance Hes1 (a well-known target of Notch signaling) e ...
(E47).
ATOH1 is required for the formation of both neural and non-neural cell types. Using genetic deletion in mice, Atoh1 has been shown to be essential for formation of
cerebellar granule neurons, inner ear
hair cell
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in the ears of all vertebrates, and in the lateral line organ of fishes. Through mechanotransduction, hair cells detect movement in their environment. ...
s,
spinal cord interneurons,
Merkel cell
Merkel cells, also known as Merkel–Ranvier cells or tactile epithelial cells, are oval-shaped mechanoreceptors essential for light touch sensation and found in the skin of vertebrates. They are abundant in highly sensitive skin like that of th ...
s of the skin, and intestinal secretory cells (
goblet
A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...
,
enteroendocrine, and
Paneth cell
Paneth cells are cells in the small intestine epithelium, alongside goblet cells, enterocytes, and enteroendocrine cells. Some can also be found in the cecum and Vermiform appendix, appendix. They are located below the intestinal stem cells in th ...
s). ATOH1 is a mammalian homolog of the ''
Drosophila melanogaster
''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (an insect of the Order (biology), order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly", "pomace fly" ...
'' gene ''atonal''. ATOH1 is considered part of the
Notch signaling pathway
The Notch signaling pathway is a highly Conserved sequence, conserved cell signaling system present in most animal, animals. Mammals possess four different Notch proteins, notch receptors, referred to as NOTCH1, NOTCH2, Notch 3, NOTCH3, and NOTC ...
.
In 2009, ATOH1 was identified as a
tumor suppressor gene
A tumor suppressor gene (TSG), or anti-oncogene, is a gene that regulates a cell (biology), cell during cell division and replication. If the cell grows uncontrollably, it will result in cancer. When a tumor suppressor gene is mutated, it results ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
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ATOH1 and cancer suppression*
Transcription factors
Tumor suppressor genes
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