TAF12 Gene

Name	TAF12 RNA polymerase II, TATA box binding protein (TBP)-associated factor, 20kDa
Description	Control of transcription by RNA polymerase II involves the basal transcription machinery which is a collection of proteins. These proteins with RNA polymerase II, assemble into complexes which are modulated by transactivator proteins that bind to cis-regulatory elements located adjacent to the transcription start site. Some modulators interact directly with the basal complex, whereas others may act as bridging proteins linking transactivators to the basal transcription factors. Some of these associated factors are weakly attached while others are tightly associated with TBP in the TFIID complex. Among the latter are the TAF proteins. Different TAFs are predicted to mediate the function of distinct transcriptional activators for a variety of gene promoters and RNA polymerases. TAF12 interacts directly with TBP as well as with TAF2I. Two transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2008]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nTAF12 is a multifaceted transcription factor subunit that plays essential roles in transcription initiation. Initially classified as RNA polymerase II–specific, TAF12 has now been shown to participate in RNA polymerase I transcription as well, thereby broadening the overall function of the general transcription machinery."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_fs", "start_ref": "1", "end_ref": "4"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Structural investigations have revealed that TAF12 harbors a histone fold domain (HFD) resembling that of histone H2B; however, its association with partner subunits such as TAF4 or TAF4b is mediated by unique structural motifs, including disordered regions or extended loops, which help enhance intrinsic DNA binding and promote high‐affinity interactions with core promoter elements.\n"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nIn addition to its central role in normal transcription, TAF12 is emerging as a key player in oncogenesis. In choroid plexus carcinomas, TAF12 is co-amplified with other oncogenes and contributes to tumor initiation and progression through epigenomic modulation."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "5"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " In acute myeloid leukemia, a direct interaction between the TAF12/TAF4 histone-fold heterodimer and the oncogenic transcription factor MYB has been identified as a selective dependency for disease progression, suggesting that disruption of this protein–protein interaction might provide a novel therapeutic avenue."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "6"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Furthermore, overexpression of TAF12 can induce chromosome instability in human cells, underscoring its potential contribution to cancer-related genetic vulnerabilities."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "7"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nTAF12’s functional spectrum also extends to the regulation of hormone-driven gene expression in disease contexts. In osteoclast precursors from patients with Paget’s disease, markedly elevated levels of TAF12 enhance the responsiveness to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ by acting as a coactivator of the vitamin D receptor. This involves direct binding to key promoter regions, such as that of the CYP24A1 gene, and is further modulated through its interaction with transcriptional co-regulators like ATF7."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "8"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sebastiaan Werten, André Mitschler, Christophe Romier, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Crystal structure of a subcomplex of human transcription factor TFIID formed by TATA binding protein-associated factors hTAF4 (hTAF(II)135) and hTAF12 (hTAF(II)20)."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2002)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M206587200"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M206587200"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "12237304"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12237304"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hanshuang Shao, Merav Revach, Sandra Moshonov, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Core promoter binding by histone-like TAF complexes."}]}, {"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.25.1.206-219.2005"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/MCB.25.1.206-219.2005"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15601843"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15601843"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sergey Denissov, Marc van Driel, Renate Voit, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Identification of novel functional TBP-binding sites and general factor repertoires."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "EMBO J (2007)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/sj.emboj.7601550"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.emboj.7601550"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "17268553"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17268553"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Kfir Gazit, Sandra Moshonov, Rofa Elfakess, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "TAF4/4b x TAF12 displays a unique mode of DNA binding and is required for core promoter function of a subset of genes."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2009)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M109.011486"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M109.011486"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "19635797"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19635797"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 5, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Yiai Tong, Diana Merino, Birgit Nimmervoll, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cross-Species Genomics Identifies TAF12, NFYC, and RAD54L as Choroid Plexus Carcinoma Oncogenes."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cancer Cell (2015)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.ccell.2015.04.005"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2015.04.005"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "25965574"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25965574"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 6, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Yali Xu, Joseph P Milazzo, Tim D D Somerville, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "A TFIID-SAGA Perturbation that Targets MYB and Suppresses Acute Myeloid Leukemia."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cancer Cell (2018)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.ccell.2017.12.002"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2017.12.002"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "29316427"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29316427"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 7, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Supipi Duffy, Hok Khim Fam, Yi Kan Wang, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Overexpression screens identify conserved dosage chromosome instability genes in yeast and human cancer."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2016)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1073/pnas.1611839113"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1611839113"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "27551064"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27551064"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 8, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Jumpei Teramachi, Yuko Hiruma, Seiichi Ishizuka, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Role of ATF7-TAF12 interactions in the vitamin D response hypersensitivity of osteoclast precursors in Paget's disease."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Bone Miner Res (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1002/jbmr.1884"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.1884"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "23426901"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23426901"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	TAF2J, TAFII20
Proteins	TAF12_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	6883
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Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

TAF12 has 6,503 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 115 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for TAF12 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 gene from the Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of TAF12 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 TAF12 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Proteomics	Cell lines associated with TAF12 protein from the CCLE Cell Line Proteomics dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with TAF12 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 TAF12 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of TAF12 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 TAF12 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022 dataset.
	CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules	small molecule perturbations changing expression of TAF12 gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing TAF12 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing TAF12 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components co-occuring with TAF12 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 TAF12 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	CORUM Protein Complexes	protein complexs containing TAF12 protein from the CORUM Protein Complexes dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with TAF12 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with TAF12 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action	small molecule perturbations with high or low expression of TAF12 protein relative to other small molecule perturbations from the DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases co-occuring with TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 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 TAF12 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of TAF12 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 TAF12 from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of TAF12 gene relative to other cell lines from the GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations	biological terms co-occuring with TAF12 gene in literature-supported statements describing functions of genes from the GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations dataset.
	GeneSigDB Published Gene Signatures	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing TAF12 from the GeneSigDB Published Gene Signatures dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Diseases	disease perturbations changing expression of TAF12 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Diseases dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Gene Perturbations	gene perturbations changing expression of TAF12 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Gene Perturbations dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Kinase Perturbations	kinase perturbations changing expression of TAF12 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Kinase Perturbations dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules	small molecule perturbations changing expression of TAF12 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.