Zbtb34, a novel zinc finger protein, is a member of the human BTB/POZ protein family. It contains a BTB/POZ domain at its N-terminus and 3 zinc fingers, and is potentially a transcriptional repressor. Zbtb34 is ubiquitously expressed in most adult human tissues and is mainly localized to the nucleus. It is involved in multiple biological processes and diseases, including embryonic stem cell proliferation, hepatocellular carcinoma, and colorectal cancer [3].

In mouse embryonic stem cells, up-regulation of Zbtb34 promotes telomere elongation and cell proliferation. Zbtb34 binds to telomere DNA via its third ZnF, competing with Pot1b for binding sites, which results in telomere elongation and cell proliferation [1]. In hepatocellular carcinoma, ZBTB34 is a carcinoma-associated protein with a monopartite nuclear localization signal. Its nuclear import is mediated by importin α1, α3, α4, and β1, and it functions via a miR-125b-5p/ZBTB34/(ZBTB10, POLR1B, and AUH) signaling axis in HepG2 cells [2]. In colorectal cancer, lnc-CPLC promotes cancer progression by regulating ZBTB34 through competitively binding miR-4319 [4].

In conclusion, Zbtb34 plays essential roles in embryonic stem cell proliferation, hepatocellular carcinoma, and colorectal cancer. Studies on Zbtb34 using mouse models have revealed its functions in telomere elongation, cell proliferation, and its involvement in signaling axes related to cancer, providing insights into the biological processes and disease mechanisms associated with this gene.

References:

1. Liu, Zheng, Wei, Xinran, Gao, Yue, Lv, Jiabin, Liu, Tao. 2022. Zbtb34 promotes embryonic stem cell proliferation by elongating telomere length. In Aging, 14, 7126-7136. doi:10.18632/aging.204285. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36098743/

2. Liu, Zheng, Jin, Di, Wei, Xinran, Wei, Pingying, Liu, Tao. 2023. ZBTB34 is a hepatocellular carcinoma-associated protein with a monopartite nuclear localization signal. In Aging, 15, 8487-8500. doi:10.18632/aging.204987. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37650557/

3. Qi, Jia, Zhang, Xin, Zhang, Hai-Kuo, Zhou, Yu-Bo, Han, Ze-Guang. 2006. ZBTB34, a novel human BTB/POZ zinc finger protein, is a potential transcriptional repressor. In Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 290, 159-67. doi:. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16718364/

4. Liao, Jingnan, Liu, Jinglan, Wang, Jinjin, Wang, Mingyuan. 2021. Lnc-CPLC promotes the progression of colorectal cancer via regulating ZBTB34 by competitively binding miR-4319. In Journal of cellular physiology, 237, 1573-1585. doi:10.1002/jcp.30628. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34741317/