N4bp2, also known as Nedd4 binding protein 2, is a protein-coding gene. It has been implicated in various biological contexts. For instance, it may be involved in the regulation of certain cellular activities through its interactions. It is located in the NPC susceptibility locus and binds to Bcl-3, suggesting its potential role in pathways related to nasopharyngeal carcinoma development [4].

In breast cancer research, N4bp2 was identified among the surface proteins of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from breast cancer cell lines but not in non-cancerous breast epithelial cell line EVs, indicating its potential as a biomarker for non-invasive breast cancer detection [1]. In lymphoid malignancies, N4bp2 was found as one of the potential partner genes of PDL1/2 in 9p24.1 rearrangements [2]. In pulmonary fibrosis, the lncRNA MRAK088388 was shown to regulate N4bp2 expression by sponging specific miRNAs, suggesting a role in the disease-related regulatory network [3]. In pediatric adrenocortical tumors, overexpression of N4bp2 was associated with poorer five-year event-free survival, highlighting its prognostic significance [5].

In conclusion, N4bp2 appears to be involved in multiple disease-related biological processes. Its potential as a biomarker in breast cancer and its role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoid malignancies, pulmonary fibrosis, and pediatric adrenocortical tumors suggest that further research, potentially including gene knockout or conditional knockout mouse models, could deepen our understanding of these disease mechanisms and potentially lead to new diagnostic or therapeutic strategies.

References:

1. Hüttmann, Nico, Li, Yingxi, Poolsup, Suttinee, Minic, Zoran, Berezovski, Maxim V. 2024. Surface Proteome of Extracellular Vesicles and Correlation Analysis Reveal Breast Cancer Biomarkers. In Cancers, 16, . doi:10.3390/cancers16030520. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38339272/

2. Van Roosbroeck, Katrien, Ferreiro, Julio Finalet, Tousseyn, Thomas, Vandenberghe, Peter, Wlodarska, Iwona. 2016. Genomic alterations of the JAK2 and PDL loci occur in a broad spectrum of lymphoid malignancies. In Genes, chromosomes & cancer, 55, 428-41. doi:10.1002/gcc.22345. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26850007/

3. Song, Xiaodong, Cao, Guohong, Jing, Lili, Liu, Weili, Lv, Changjun. 2014. Analysing the relationship between lncRNA and protein-coding gene and the role of lncRNA as ceRNA in pulmonary fibrosis. In Journal of cellular and molecular medicine, 18, 991-1003. doi:10.1111/jcmm.12243. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24702795/

4. Zheng, Mei-Zhen, Qin, Hai-De, Yu, Xing-Juan, Feng, Qi-Sheng, Zeng, Yi-Xin. 2007. Haplotype of gene Nedd4 binding protein 2 associated with sporadic nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the Southern Chinese population. In Journal of translational medicine, 5, 36. doi:. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17626640/

5. Veronez, Luciana Chain, Xavier, Alcides Euzebio Tavares, Nagano, Luiz Fernando, Tone, Luiz Gonzaga, Scrideli, Carlos Alberto. 2024. Identifying prognostic hub genes and key pathways in pediatric adrenocortical tumors through RNA sequencing and Co-expression analysis. In Molecular and cellular endocrinology, 594, 112383. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2024.112383. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39413985/