ATF2
activating transcription factor 2 | CRE-BP1, HB16, TREB7, CREB2

This gene encodes a transcription factor that is a member of the leucine zipper family of DNA binding proteins. The encoded protein has been identified as a moonlighting protein based on its ability to perform mechanistically distinct functions This protein binds to the cAMP-responsive element (CRE), an octameric palindrome. It forms a homodimer or a heterodimer with c-Jun and stimulates CRE-dependent transcription. This protein is also a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) that specifically acetylates histones H2B and H4 in vitro; thus it may represent a class of sequence-specific factors that activate transcription by direct effects on chromatin components. The encoded protein may also be involved in cell's DNA damage response independent of its role in transcriptional regulation. Several alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found for this gene [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2014]

Member of: DE-8 Developmental clusters: GC1
Biological processes 98 terms
BMP signaling pathway (GO:0030509)DNA binding (GO:0003677)DNA damage response (GO:0006974)DNA damage response (GO:0006974)DNA damage response (GO:0006974)DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific (GO:0001228)DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific (GO:0001228)DNA-binding transcription factor activity (GO:0003700)DNA-binding transcription factor activity (GO:0003700)DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific (GO:0000981)DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific (GO:0000981)DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific (GO:0000981)H4 histone acetyltransferase complex (GO:1902562)JNK cascade (GO:0007254)MAPK cascade (GO:0000165)NK T cell differentiation (GO:0001865)RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding (GO:0000978)RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding (GO:0000978)RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding (GO:0000977)RNA polymerase II-specific DNA-binding transcription factor binding (GO:0061629)abducens nucleus development (GO:0021742)apoptotic process (GO:0006915)brainstem development (GO:0003360)cAMP response element binding (GO:0035497)cAMP response element binding (GO:0035497)cAMP response element binding (GO:0035497)cAMP response element binding protein binding (GO:0008140)cellular response to anisomycin (GO:0072740)cellular response to leucine starvation (GO:1990253)cellular response to oxidative stress (GO:0034599)cellular response to virus (GO:0098586)chromatin (GO:0000785)chromatin (GO:0000785)chromatin binding (GO:0003682)cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding (GO:0000987)cytoplasm (GO:0005737)cytoplasm (GO:0005737)detection of cell density (GO:0060245)facial nucleus development (GO:0021754)gene expression (GO:0010467)growth plate cartilage chondrocyte differentiation (GO:0003418)growth plate cartilage chondrocyte proliferation (GO:0003419)heart development (GO:0007507)hematopoietic progenitor cell differentiation (GO:0002244)hepatocyte apoptotic process (GO:0097284)histone H2B acetyltransferase activity (GO:0044013)histone H4 acetyltransferase activity (GO:0010485)histone acetyltransferase activity (GO:0004402)hypoglossal nucleus development (GO:0021743)identical protein binding (GO:0042802)in utero embryonic development (GO:0001701)intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway in response to hypoxia (GO:1990144)leucine zipper domain binding (GO:0043522)lipid metabolic process (GO:0006629)liver development (GO:0001889)mRNA transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0042789)membrane (GO:0016020)mitochondrial outer membrane (GO:0005741)mitochondrial outer membrane (GO:0005741)mitotic intra-S DNA damage checkpoint signaling (GO:0031573)motor neuron apoptotic process (GO:0097049)negative regulation of angiogenesis (GO:0016525)negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0000122)neurofilament cytoskeleton organization (GO:0060052)nucleoplasm (GO:0005654)nucleoplasm (GO:0005654)nucleus (GO:0005634)nucleus (GO:0005634)nucleus (GO:0005634)nucleus (GO:0005634)nucleus (GO:0005634)p38MAPK cascade (GO:0038066)peptidyl-threonine phosphorylation (GO:0018107)positive regulation of cardiac muscle myoblast proliferation (GO:0110024)positive regulation of gene expression (GO:0010628)positive regulation of mitochondrial membrane permeability involved in apoptotic process (GO:1902110)positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0045944)positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0045944)promoter-specific chromatin binding (GO:1990841)promoter-specific chromatin binding (GO:1990841)protein binding (GO:0005515)protein heterodimerization activity (GO:0046982)protein homodimerization activity (GO:0042803)protein import into nucleus (GO:0006606)protein kinase binding (GO:0019901)regulation of DNA-templated transcription (GO:0006355)regulation of DNA-templated transcription (GO:0006355)regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0006357)regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0006357)regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0006357)response to osmotic stress (GO:0006970)sequence-specific DNA binding (GO:0043565)sequence-specific double-stranded DNA binding (GO:1990837)site of double-strand break (GO:0035861)site of double-strand break (GO:0035861)transcription initiation-coupled chromatin remodeling (GO:0045815)vacuole organization (GO:0007033)white fat cell differentiation (GO:0050872)
Expression (TPM)
ATF2 — as a Regulated Gene

TFs regulating ATF2 0 TFs

Transcription factors with Perturb-seq knockdown data for ATF2. The Binding column indicates whether any binding evidence exists for this TF–gene pair (ChIP-seq or motif footprint peaks). The Mean coef is the average Perturb-seq regression coefficient across active gRNAs (positive = ATF2 upregulated upon KD; negative = downregulated). The Outlier column indicates whether this gene is in the top or bottom 5% of all TF knockdown effects.

Data: Effect:
TF Mean coef Binding Outlier TF→Gene link

Elements linked to ATF2

Open chromatin peaks (ATAC-seq) in the genomic neighbourhood of ATF2, linked by TSS proximity or chromatin conformation (Multiome / HiCAR). Each element overlaps at least one TF ChIP-seq binding site — the TFs column shows how many distinct TFs bind that element.

Accessibility Element Dist. to TSS Link type TFs
chr2:174,925,097–174,925,704 242.6 kb Distal (>10kb) Multiome 80
chr2:175,004,425–175,005,846 162.9 kb Distal (>10kb) Multiome 671
chr2:175,167,310–175,168,864 202 bp At TSS Multiome 1063
chr2:175,180,872–175,182,073 13.5 kb Distal (>10kb) Multiome 1051
chr2:175,276,744–175,277,617 109.0 kb Distal (>10kb) Multiome 69
chr2:176,106,474–176,108,077 939.2 kb Distal (>10kb) Multiome HiCAR 426

Genome Browser

Genomic view of the ATF2 locus showing ATAC-seq accessibility and RNA-seq expression across the ESC → DE time course, together with TF binding peaks and element-to-TSS loop connections.

chr2:174,915,097 – 176,118,077
Proximal 1 kb Distal 10 kb Multiome HiCAR ATAC-seq RNA-seq