Zfp644, known as ZNF644 in humans, is a transcription factor. It interacts with the G9a/GLP complex, functioning as a H3K9 methyltransferase to silence transcription, which is crucial in various biological processes [3]. Mouse models have been valuable for studying Zfp644's role in diseases.

In a myopia study, mouse mutants with Zfp644 S673G or Zfp644 Δ8 mutations showed significant differences in vitreous chamber depth and lens diameter, indicating Zfp644's involvement in high-myopia development [3]. In pancreatic acinar cells, downregulation of circ-ZFP644 (a circular RNA related to Zfp644) in caerulein-induced cells led to increased amylase activity and inflammatory cytokine secretion, while its overexpression had the opposite effects, suggesting its anti-inflammation and pro-apoptosis roles via the miR-106b/Pias3 axis [1]. In an in vitro myocardial hypertrophy model, circ-Zfp644 aggravated cardiac hypertrophy by modulating the miR-93-5p/Limk1 axis [2].

In conclusion, Zfp644 is involved in the development of high-myopia, and its related circular RNAs play important roles in pancreatic inflammation and myocardial hypertrophy. Mouse models have been instrumental in revealing these functions, providing insights into the molecular basis of these diseases and potential treatment strategies.

References:

1. Wang, Jing, Fu, Jindong, Xu, Changqin, Zhang, Xiaohua, Zhao, Shulei. 2021. Circ_ZFP644 attenuates caerulein-induced inflammatory injury in rat pancreatic acinar cells by modulating miR-106b/Pias3 axis. In Experimental and molecular pathology, 121, 104644. doi:10.1016/j.yexmp.2021.104644. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33945806/

2. Chen, Yongquan, Song, Daifu, Gao, Jiaxin, Zhang, Xuehuang, Chen, Ximing. 2021. Circ-Zfp644 acts as a pro-hypertrophic mediator in an Ang-II induced in vitro myocardial hypertrophy model. In Cell biology international, 45, 1260-1268. doi:10.1002/cbin.11569. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33559936/

3. Szczerkowska, Katarzyna I, Petrezselyova, Silvia, Lindovsky, Jiri, Prochazka, Jan, Sedlacek, Radislav. 2019. Myopia disease mouse models: a missense point mutation (S673G) and a protein-truncating mutation of the Zfp644 mimic human disease phenotype. In Cell & bioscience, 9, 21. doi:10.1186/s13578-019-0280-4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30834109/