TAF4 Gene

Name	TAF4 RNA polymerase II, TATA box binding protein (TBP)-associated factor, 135kDa
Description	Initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II requires the activities of more than 70 polypeptides. The protein that coordinates these activities is transcription factor IID (TFIID), which binds to the core promoter to position the polymerase properly, serves as the scaffold for assembly of the remainder of the transcription complex, and acts as a channel for regulatory signals. TFIID is composed of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and a group of evolutionarily conserved proteins known as TBP-associated factors or TAFs. TAFs may participate in basal transcription, serve as coactivators, function in promoter recognition or modify general transcription factors (GTFs) to facilitate complex assembly and transcription initiation. This gene encodes one of the larger subunits of TFIID that has been shown to potentiate transcriptional activation by retinoic acid, thyroid hormone and vitamin D3 receptors. In addition, this subunit interacts with the transcription factor CREB, which has a glutamine-rich activation domain, and binds to other proteins containing glutamine-rich regions. Aberrant binding to this subunit by proteins with expanded polyglutamine regions has been suggested as one of the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying a group of neurodegenerative disorders referred to as polyglutamine diseases. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nTAF4 is a core subunit of the transcription factor IID (TFIID) complex that plays a pivotal role in initiating RNA polymerase II–mediated transcription. It functions as a coactivator by interacting with promoter‐specific transcription factors such as Sp1 to overcome transcriptional inhibition—as illustrated by its capacity to reverse mutant huntingtin–induced repression in Huntington’s disease—and is likewise targeted by viral proteins like SV40 small t antigen to stimulate consensus TATA box–dependent transcription."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nStructural and mechanistic studies have revealed that TAF4 forms specific interactions with other TFIID subunits and regulatory factors. The incorporation of TAF4b, a paralog with distinct structural features, reprograms promoter recognition and transcriptional synergy (through its unique open conformation) and the crystal structure of its interacting domain with TAF12 uncovers a partial histone fold with an extended disordered region that facilitates stable subunit interactions. Moreover, TAF4/TAF4b–TAF12 complexes exhibit DNA-binding activity that contributes to core promoter recognition and are recruited by elements such as the TFIIA recognition element. Detailed NMR analyses have further shown that the glutamine‐rich domains in TAF4 mediate specific, albeit weak and largely unstructured, interactions with factors like Sp1 and with viral proteins such as EBV Rta, while the αα–hub architecture further underpins its binding specificity."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_fs", "start_ref": "3", "end_ref": "10"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nTAF4 function is further diversified by alternative splicing of its TAFH domain, generating isoforms that differentially regulate cellular proliferation, reprogramming, and differentiation. In mesenchymal stem cells and fibroblasts, splice variants with modified hTAF4-TAFH domains repress proliferation and promote lineage-specific differentiation—such as chondrogenic or melanocytic outcomes—and this modulation extends to altered cell migration and transformational programs in melanoma. In neural tissues, distinct TAF4 splicing profiles correlate with the regulation of neurogenesis and have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, positioning TAF4 as a critical regulatory hub in development and disease."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_fs", "start_ref": "11", "end_ref": "14"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n"}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Anthone W Dunah, Hyunkyung Jeong, April Griffin, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sp1 and TAFII130 transcriptional activity disrupted in early Huntington's disease."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Science (2002)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1126/science.1072613"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1072613"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "11988536"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11988536"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mona Johannessen, Petter Angell Olsen, Rita Sørensen, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "A role of the TATA box and the general co-activator hTAF(II)130/135 in promoter-specific trans-activation by simian virus 40 small t antigen."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Gen Virol (2003)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1099/vir.0.19057-0"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.19057-0"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "12810884"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12810884"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Wei-Li Liu, Robert A Coleman, Patricia Grob, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Structural changes in TAF4b-TFIID correlate with promoter selectivity."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mol Cell (2008)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.molcel.2007.11.003"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2007.11.003"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "18206971"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18206971"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "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": 5, "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": 6, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Juan Wang, Shasha Zhao, Wei He, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "A transcription factor IIA-binding site differentially regulates RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription in a promoter context-dependent manner."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2017)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M116.770412"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M116.770412"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "28539359"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28539359"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 7, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Emi Hibino, Rintaro Inoue, Masaaki Sugiyama, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Interaction between intrinsically disordered regions in transcription factors Sp1 and TAF4."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Protein Sci (2016)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1002/pro.3013"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.3013"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "27515574"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27515574"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 8, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Emi Hibino, Rintaro Inoue, Masaaki Sugiyama, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Identification of heteromolecular binding sites in transcription factors Sp1 and TAF4 using high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Protein Sci (2017)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1002/pro.3287"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.3287"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "28857320"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28857320"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 9, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Ya-Chun Yang, Li-Kwan Chang "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Role of TAF4 in transcriptional activation by Rta of Epstein-Barr Virus."}]}, {"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.0054075"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054075"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "23326574"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23326574"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 10, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Frederik Friis Theisen, Edoardo Salladini, Rikke Davidsen, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "αα-hub coregulator structure and flexibility determine transcription factor binding and selection in regulatory interactomes."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2022)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101963"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101963"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "35452682"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35452682"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 11, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Jekaterina Kazantseva, Anri Kivil, Kairit Tints, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Alternative splicing targeting the hTAF4-TAFH domain of TAF4 represses proliferation and accelerates chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells."}]}, {"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.0074799"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074799"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24098348"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24098348"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 12, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Jekaterina Kazantseva, Helle Sadam, Toomas Neuman, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Targeted alternative splicing of TAF4: a new strategy for cell reprogramming."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sci Rep (2016)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/srep30852"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30852"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "27499390"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27499390"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 13, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Beau D E Janssen, Marie-Jose H van den Boogaard, Klaske Lichtenbelt, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "De novo putative loss-of-function variants in TAF4 are associated with a neuro-developmental disorder."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hum Mutat (2022)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1002/humu.24444"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/humu.24444"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "35904126"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35904126"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 14, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Jekaterina Kazantseva, Kairit Tints, Toomas Neuman, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "TAF4 controls differentiation of human neural progenitor cells through hTAF4-TAFH activity."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Mol Neurosci (2015)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1007/s12031-014-0295-6"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-014-0295-6"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24696168"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24696168"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	TAFII130, TAFII135, TAF2C1, TAF4A, TAF2C
Proteins	TAF4_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	6874
API
Download Associations
Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

TAF4 has 5,594 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 TAF4 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 gene from the Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of TAF4 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 TAF4 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Proteomics	Cell lines associated with TAF4 protein from the CCLE Cell Line Proteomics dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of TAF4 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing TAF4 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing TAF4 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	CORUM Protein Complexes	protein complexs containing TAF4 protein from the CORUM Protein Complexes dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of TAF4 gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with TAF4 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions	chemicals interacting with TAF4 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with TAF4 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	dbGAP Gene-Trait Associations	traits associated with TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with TAF4 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 TAF4 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 TAF4 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of TAF4 gene in ChIP-seq datasets from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets dataset.