EGR2 Gene

HGNC Family	Zinc fingers
Name	early growth response 2
Description	The protein encoded by this gene is a transcription factor with three tandem C2H2-type zinc fingers. Defects in this gene are associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1D (CMT1D), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4E (CMT4E), and with Dejerine-Sottas syndrome (DSS). Multiple transcript variants encoding two different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2008]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Early growth response gene 2 (EGR2) is a transcription factor that plays critical, multifaceted roles in both the peripheral nervous system and the immune system. In the peripheral nerves, EGR2 is indispensable for proper Schwann cell differentiation and myelination. Hypomorphic mutations in EGR2 lead to congenital hypomyelinating neuropathy, as these mutations arrest Schwann cell maturation, disrupt the expression of myelin‐specific genes, and permit the abnormal up‐regulation of factors like Sox2 that normally must be repressed during myelination."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n In the immune system, EGR2 functions as a key regulator of T cell responses. For instance, in conventional T cells, EGR2 (together with its related factor EGR3) is induced after T cell receptor engagement in the absence of full costimulation, where its overexpression is linked to the induction of regulatory molecules (such as the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b) that promote T cell anergy and limit activation."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "2"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Moreover, within specific T cell subsets, sustained expression of EGR2 contributes to the generation of immunosuppressive phenotypes. In IL-10–secreting regulatory T cells, for example, EGR2 expression is a hallmark of the negative regulatory program, and forced expression of EGR2 can convert naïve T cells into cells with potent immunosuppressive functions."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "3"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " In addition, during T cell development, high and prolonged levels of EGR2 (along with EGR1) help specify the natural killer T (NKT) cell lineage by directly activating key target genes (such as Zbtb16, which encodes the transcription factor PLZF) and by modulating cytokine receptor expression to promote responsiveness to interleukins that guide terminal differentiation."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "4"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n In summary, EGR2 serves as an essential molecular switch that not only drives the differentiation and myelination of Schwann cells but also orchestrates distinct inhibitory and differentiative programs in T cells, thereby helping to maintain both neural function and immune tolerance.\n "}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Nam Le, Rakesh Nagarajan, James Y T Wang, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Analysis of congenital hypomyelinating Egr2Lo/Lo nerves identifies Sox2 as an inhibitor of Schwann cell differentiation and myelination."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2005)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1073/pnas.0407836102"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0407836102"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15695336"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15695336"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Meredith Safford, Samuel Collins, Michael A Lutz, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Egr-2 and Egr-3 are negative regulators of T cell activation."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Nat Immunol (2005)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/ni1193"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1193"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15834410"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15834410"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Tomohisa Okamura, Keishi Fujio, Mihoko Shibuya, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "CD4+CD25-LAG3+ regulatory T cells controlled by the transcription factor Egr-2."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2009)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1073/pnas.0906872106"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0906872106"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "19666526"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19666526"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Michael P Seiler, Rebecca Mathew, Megan K Liszewski, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Elevated and sustained expression of the transcription factors Egr1 and Egr2 controls NKT lineage differentiation in response to TCR signaling."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Nat Immunol (2012)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/ni.2230"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.2230"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "22306690"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22306690"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	AT591, CMT4E, CMT1D, KROX20
Proteins	EGR2_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	1959
API
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Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

EGR2 has 11,261 functional associations with biological entities spanning 8 categories (molecular profile, organism, disease, phenotype or trait, chemical, functional term, phrase or reference, structural feature, cell line, cell type or tissue, gene, protein or microRNA) extracted from 117 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for EGR2 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray	tissue samples with high or low expression of EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of EGR2 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 EGR2 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with EGR2 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 EGR2 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of EGR2 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 EGR2 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022 dataset.
	ClinVar Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with EGR2 gene from the curated ClinVar Gene-Phenotype Associations dataset.
	CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules	small molecule perturbations changing expression of EGR2 gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing EGR2 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing EGR2 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components co-occuring with EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with EGR2 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions	chemicals interacting with EGR2 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with EGR2 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	dbGAP Gene-Trait Associations	traits associated with EGR2 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the dbGAP Gene-Trait Associations dataset.
	DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency	cell lines with fitness changed by EGR2 gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency dataset.
	DISEASES Curated Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases involving EGR2 gene from the DISEASES Curated Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Curated Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases involving EGR2 gene from the DISEASES Curated Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases associated with EGR2 gene in GWAS datasets from the DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases associated with EGR2 gene in GWAS datasets from the DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases co-occuring with EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with EGR2 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 EGR2 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 EGR2 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of EGR2 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 EGR2 from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GAD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with EGR2 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the GAD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.