AATF Gene

Name	apoptosis antagonizing transcription factor
Description	The protein encoded by this gene was identified on the basis of its interaction with MAP3K12/DLK, a protein kinase known to be involved in the induction of cell apoptosis. This gene product contains a leucine zipper, which is a characteristic motif of transcription factors, and was shown to exhibit strong transactivation activity when fused to Gal4 DNA binding domain. Overexpression of this gene interfered with MAP3K12 induced apoptosis. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Apoptosis‐antagonizing transcription factor (AATF), also known as Che‐1, is a multifunctional protein that plays a central role in integrating stress responses, cell cycle regulation, and transcriptional control. Through its ability to bind RNA polymerase II and interact with key regulators such as the retinoblastoma protein and TSG101, AATF promotes cell cycle progression and survival."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Upon DNA damage and other stress signals, AATF undergoes post‐translational modifications – for example, phosphorylation by checkpoint kinases MK2 and HIPK2 – that regulate its intracellular localization, stability, and binding partners. This modified AATF then translocates to the nucleus, where it represses p53‐dependent transcription of pro‐apoptotic genes such as PUMA, BAX, and BAK, thereby tipping the balance away from apoptosis and contributing to chemoresistance in various tumor models."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "3"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n In neural cells, AATF exerts neuroprotective functions by binding and antagonizing pro‐apoptotic factors such as NRAGE and Par‐4, which limits aberrant cell death and the production of neurotoxic amyloid species."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "5"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " In oncogenic settings—including leukemias, lung adenocarcinomas, and breast cancer—AATF is frequently overexpressed and contributes to cancer cell proliferation and survival by modulating not only p53 and c‐Jun activities but also other signaling cascades such as PI3K/Akt."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_fs", "start_ref": "6", "end_ref": "8"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Moreover, AATF participates in ribosome biogenesis as part of a complex with NGDN and NOL10, thereby further supporting cellular growth."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "9"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n AATF also functions as a coactivator for nuclear hormone receptors, enhancing androgen receptor‐mediated transcription through both direct and indirect interactions."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "2"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Its potent transcriptional activation domain has even been exploited for the design of artificial transcription factors to upregulate therapeutic targets in diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "10"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Collectively, these findings underscore AATF’s dual role as a mediator of survival and proliferation under stress conditions and as a repressor of apoptotic pathways. As such, AATF represents a promising target for therapeutic intervention in cancer and other diseases marked by dysregulated cell death."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "11"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n In summary, AATF integrates multiple signaling inputs—by modulating transcription, influencing post‐translational modifications, and interacting with various co-regulators—to control the balance between cell survival and apoptosis. This multifaceted regulation positions AATF as a central node in stress responses and tumorigenesis, providing several avenues for potential therapeutic targeting."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "13"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sven Burgdorf, Peter Leister, Karl Heinz Scheidtmann "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "TSG101 interacts with apoptosis-antagonizing transcription factor and enhances androgen receptor-mediated transcription by promoting its monoubiquitination."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2004)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M313703200"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M313703200"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "14761944"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14761944"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "P Leister, A Felten, A I Chasan, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "ZIP kinase plays a crucial role in androgen receptor-mediated transcription."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Oncogene (2008)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/sj.onc.1210995"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1210995"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "18084323"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18084323"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Katja Höpker, Henning Hagmann, Safiya Khurshid, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "AATF/Che-1 acts as a phosphorylation-dependent molecular modulator to repress p53-driven apoptosis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "EMBO J (2012)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/emboj.2012.236"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/emboj.2012.236"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "22909821"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22909821"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "A Desantis, T Bruno, V Catena, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Che-1 modulates the decision between cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by its binding to p53."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cell Death Dis (2015)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/cddis.2015.117"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/cddis.2015.117"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "25996291"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25996291"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 5, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Maria Grazia Di Certo, Nicoletta Corbi, Tiziana Bruno, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "NRAGE associates with the anti-apoptotic factor Che-1 and regulates its degradation to induce cell death."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Cell Sci (2007)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1242/jcs.03454"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.03454"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "17488777"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17488777"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 6, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Deepak Kaul, Aanchal Mehrotra "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Functional characterization of AATF transcriptome in human leukemic cells."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mol Cell Biochem (2007)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1007/s11010-006-9317-1"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-006-9317-1"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "17006618"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17006618"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 7, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Daniela Welcker, Manaswita Jain, Safiya Khurshid, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "AATF suppresses apoptosis, promotes proliferation and is critical for Kras-driven lung cancer."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Oncogene (2018)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/s41388-017-0054-6"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-017-0054-6"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "29321668"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29321668"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 8, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Monika Sharma "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Apoptosis-antagonizing transcription factor (AATF) gene silencing: role in induction of apoptosis and down-regulation of estrogen receptor in breast cancer cells."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Biotechnol Lett (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1007/s10529-013-1257-8"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-013-1257-8"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "23801113"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23801113"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 9, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Lukas Bammert, Stefanie Jonas, Rosemarie Ungricht, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Human AATF/Che-1 forms a nucleolar protein complex with NGDN and NOL10 required for 40S ribosomal subunit synthesis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Nucleic Acids Res (2016)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1093/nar/gkw790"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkw790"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "27599843"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27599843"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 10, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Annalisa Onori, Cinzia Pisani, Georgios Strimpakos, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "UtroUp is a novel six zinc finger artificial transcription factor that recognises 18 base pairs of the utrophin promoter and efficiently drives utrophin upregulation."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "BMC Mol Biol (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1186/1471-2199-14-3"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2199-14-3"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "23363418"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23363418"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 11, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Manaswita Jain, Rainer W J Kaiser, Katrin Bohl, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Inactivation of Apoptosis Antagonizing Transcription Factor in tubular epithelial cells induces accumulation of DNA damage and nephronophthisis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Kidney Int (2019)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.kint.2018.10.034"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kint.2018.10.034"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "30770218"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30770218"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 12, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Aanchal Mehrotra, Deepak Kaul, Kusum Joshi "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "LXR-α selectively reprogrammes cancer cells to enter into apoptosis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mol Cell Biochem (2011)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1007/s11010-010-0659-3"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-010-0659-3"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "21125317"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21125317"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 13, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Valentina Folgiero, Cristina Sorino, Matteo Pallocca, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Che-1 is targeted by c-Myc to sustain proliferation in pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "EMBO Rep (2018)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.15252/embr.201744871"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201744871"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "29367285"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29367285"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 14, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Saima E Ferraris, Kimmo Isoniemi, Elin Torvaldson, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Nucleolar AATF regulates c-Jun-mediated apoptosis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mol Biol Cell (2012)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1091/mbc.E12-05-0419"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E12-05-0419"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "22933572"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22933572"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	BFR2, CHE-1, DED
Proteins	AATF_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	26574
API
Download Associations
Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

AATF has 7,064 functional associations with biological entities spanning 9 categories (molecular profile, organism, chemical, functional term, phrase or reference, disease, phenotype or trait, structural feature, cell line, cell type or tissue, gene, protein or microRNA, sequence feature) extracted from 129 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for AATF from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

AATF Gene

Functional Associations

Please acknowledge the Harmonizome in your publications by citing the following reference(s):

	Dataset	Summary
	Achilles Cell Line Gene Essentiality Profiles	cell lines with fitness changed by AATF gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the Achilles Cell Line Gene Essentiality Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles	tissue samples with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray	tissue samples with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq	tissue samples with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other cell lines from the BioGPS Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures	small molecule perturbations changing expression of AATF gene from the Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of AATF gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Proteomics	Cell lines associated with AATF protein from the CCLE Cell Line Proteomics dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with AATF gene from the CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of AATF gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of AATF gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022	transcription factors binding the promoter of AATF gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022 dataset.
	CM4AI U2OS Cell Map Protein Localization Assemblies	assemblies containing AATF protein from integrated AP-MS and IF data from the CM4AI U2OS Cell Map Protein Localization Assemblies dataset.
	CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules	small molecule perturbations changing expression of AATF gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing AATF protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing AATF protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing AATF protein in low- or high-throughput protein localization assays from the COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing AATF protein in low- or high-throughput protein localization assays from the COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components co-occuring with AATF protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components co-occuring with AATF protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of AATF gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with AATF gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with AATF gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases co-occuring with AATF gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases co-occuring with AATF gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with AATF gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with AATF gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Phenoptype Associations dataset.
	ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles	histone modification site profiles with high histone modification abundance at AATF gene from the ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of AATF gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of AATF gene in ChIP-seq datasets from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing AATF from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GAD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with AATF gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the GAD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	GAD High Level Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with AATF gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the GAD High Level Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of AATF gene relative to other cell lines from the GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.