Zmym4, zinc-finger MYM-containing protein 4, is a zinc-finger protein. It has been implicated in multiple biological processes. Although its exact associated pathways are still being explored, it is known to play important roles in early brain development, craniofacial development, and is related to certain cancers. Genetic models are valuable for studying Zmym4's functions [1,3,4].

In craniofacial development, knockdown of endogenous Zmym4 in embryos led to altered early cranial gene expression, including genes in neural border, neural plate, neural crest, and preplacodal ectoderm. At larval stages, genes in the otic vesicle and branchial arches had reduced expression, and loss of Zmym4 caused aberrant craniofacial cartilage morphology, indicating its significance in normal craniofacial development [1]. In cancer-related studies, Zmym4 frameshift mutations were found in high microsatellite instability gastric and colonic cancers, and its expression was lower in mutated cases, suggesting its relation to these cancers [2].

In conclusion, Zmym4 is essential for regulating embryonic cranial gene expression, which is crucial for normal craniofacial development. Its alterations are also associated with certain cancers. The use of gene-knockout or knockdown models in these studies has provided valuable insights into its functions in these specific biological processes and disease conditions.

References:

1. Jourdeuil, Karyn, Neilson, Karen M, Cousin, Helene, Alfandari, Dominique, Moody, Sally A. 2023. Zmym4 is required for early cranial gene expression and craniofacial cartilage formation. In Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 11, 1274788. doi:10.3389/fcell.2023.1274788. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37854072/

2. Moon, Seong Won, Son, Hyun Ji, Chae, Jeesoo, An, Chang Hyeok, Lee, Sug Hyung. . Expression and Mutation Alterations of ZMYM4 Gene in Gastric and Colonic Cancers. In Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology : AIMM, 29, 570-575. doi:10.1097/PAI.0000000000000939. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33938481/

3. Cibis, Hannah, Biyanee, Abhiruchi, Dörner, Wolfgang, Mootz, Henning D, Klempnauer, Karl-Heinz. 2020. Characterization of the zinc finger proteins ZMYM2 and ZMYM4 as novel B-MYB binding proteins. In Scientific reports, 10, 8390. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65443-w. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32439918/

4. Xiang, Bo, Yang, Juanjuan, Zhang, Jin, Chen, Jing, Liu, Kezhi. 2019. The role of genes affected by human evolution marker GNA13 in schizophrenia. In Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 98, 109764. doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109764. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31676466/