MSL1 Gene

Name	male-specific lethal 1 homolog (Drosophila)
Description	Enables protein-macromolecule adaptor activity. Involved in positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription. Located in nucleoplasm. Part of MSL complex. [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Mar 2025]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nMSL1 functions as a critical scaffolding component of the human MSL histone acetyltransferase complex, partnering with factors such as MOF, MSL2, and MSL3 to ensure the specific acetylation of histone H4 at lysine 16. This modification is essential for proper transcriptional regulation and cell cycle progression, and its dysregulation has been correlated with tumorigenesis. In stem and cancer cells, MSL1 further interacts with the acetyltransferase KAT8, and its various isoforms—distinguished by distinct nuclear localization signals—aid in targeting additional proteins such as the co-chaperone TTC4 to sub-nuclear foci."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nBeyond its role in chromatin modification, MSL1 plays an active part in the DNA damage response. It is recruited to the sites of DNA lesions where it forms complexes with key repair-associated proteins. For instance, MSL1 binds to 53BP1—a process negatively regulated by the stress protein p8—to facilitate histone acetylation-driven chromatin remodeling, thereby promoting effective DNA repair following gamma irradiation. Similarly, in response to cisplatin-induced DNA damage, MSL1 partners with the intrinsically disordered protein Nupr1; this interaction, alongside its moderate affinity for chemically damaged DNA, enhances cellular survival after genotoxic stress."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "3"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nRecent findings also reveal a novel layer of regulation for MSL1 via alternative polyadenylation. DNA damage triggers a coordinated APA shift that results in the upregulation of a full-length MSL1 mRNA isoform. This isoform exerts a protective effect, reducing DNA damage-induced apoptosis and enhancing cell survival even in contexts where key tumor suppressors such as p53 are absent. As such, targeting the upregulation of MSL1 presents a potential therapeutic strategy to overcome chemoresistance."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "5"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Edwin R Smith, Christelle Cayrou, Rong Huang, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "A human protein complex homologous to the Drosophila MSL complex is responsible for the majority of histone H4 acetylation at lysine 16."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mol Cell Biol (2005)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1128/MCB.25.21.9175-9188.2005"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/MCB.25.21.9175-9188.2005"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "16227571"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16227571"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Ruslan I Dmitriev, Nikolay B Pestov, Mikhail I Shakhparonov, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Two distinct nuclear localization signals in mammalian MSL1 regulate its function."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Cell Biochem (2014)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1002/jcb.24868"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.24868"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24913909"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24913909"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Meritxell Gironella, Cedric Malicet, Carla Cano, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "p8/nupr1 regulates DNA-repair activity after double-strand gamma irradiation-induced DNA damage."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Cell Physiol (2009)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1002/jcp.21889"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.21889"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "19650074"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19650074"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "David Aguado-Llera, Tewfik Hamidi, Rosa Doménech, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Deciphering the binding between Nupr1 and MSL1 and their DNA-repairing activity."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "PLoS One (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1371/journal.pone.0078101"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078101"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24205110"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24205110"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 5, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Alexander K Kunisky, Vivian I Anyaeche, R Samuel Herron, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Shift in MSL1 alternative polyadenylation in response to DNA damage protects cancer cells from chemotherapeutic agent-induced apoptosis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cell Rep (2021)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109815"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109815"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "34644577"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34644577"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	HMSL1, MSL-1
Proteins	MSL1_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	339287
API
Download Associations
Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

MSL1 has 6,069 functional associations with biological entities spanning 8 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) extracted from 107 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for MSL1 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

MSL1 Gene

Functional Associations

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

	Dataset	Summary
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 RNA-seq	tissue samples with high or low expression of MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 gene from the Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of MSL1 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 MSL1 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Proteomics	Cell lines associated with MSL1 protein from the CCLE Cell Line Proteomics dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with MSL1 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 MSL1 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing MSL1 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing MSL1 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with MSL1 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions	chemicals interacting with MSL1 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with MSL1 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	dbGAP Gene-Trait Associations	traits associated with MSL1 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the dbGAP Gene-Trait Associations dataset.
	DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action	small molecule perturbations with high or low expression of MSL1 protein relative to other small molecule perturbations from the DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action dataset.
	DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency	cell lines with fitness changed by MSL1 gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases associated with MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 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 MSL1 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles	histone modification site profiles with high histone modification abundance at MSL1 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 MSL1 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of MSL1 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 MSL1 from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GAD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with MSL1 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the GAD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.