AEBP1, or Adipocyte Enhancer-binding Protein 1, is a transcriptional repressor. It is involved in multiple critical biological processes such as adipogenesis, mammary gland development, inflammation, macrophage cholesterol homeostasis, and atherogenesis. AEBP1 can regulate the canonical NF-κB pathway by directly interacting with IκBα, a key NF-κB inhibitor, and its overexpression can lead to uncontrolled NF-κB activation [2].

In the context of diseases, in proliferative diabetic retinopathy, AEBP1 is significantly upregulated in myofibroblast clusters of fibrovascular membranes. Silencing AEBP1 in human retinal pericytes reduces the expression of profibrotic markers in high-glucose conditions, suggesting it modulates pericyte-myofibroblast transformation and could be a target to prevent scar tissue formation [1]. In papillary thyroid cancer, knockout of AEBP1 inhibits cell growth, invasion, and EMT, and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) was identified as its downstream target, indicating AEBP1 promotes cancer progression through the AEBP1-BMP4 axis [3]. In cisplatin-resistant oral cancer cells, AEBP1 silencing predisposes cells to ferroptosis via the JNK/p38 /ERK pathway [4].

Overall, AEBP1 plays diverse and crucial roles in various biological processes and disease conditions. Its functions in promoting inflammation, cell proliferation, and metastasis in diseases like cancer, and its role in fibrosis-related diseases as demonstrated through gene-related studies, highlight its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target for multiple disease treatments.

References:

1. Corano Scheri, Katia, Lavine, Jeremy A, Tedeschi, Thomas, Thomson, Benjamin R, Fawzi, Amani A. 2023. Single-cell transcriptomics analysis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy fibrovascular membranes reveals AEBP1 as fibrogenesis modulator. In JCI insight, 8, . doi:10.1172/jci.insight.172062. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37917183/

2. Majdalawieh, Amin F, Massri, Mariam, Ro, Hyo-Sung. 2020. AEBP1 is a Novel Oncogene: Mechanisms of Action and Signaling Pathways. In Journal of oncology, 2020, 8097872. doi:10.1155/2020/8097872. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32565808/

3. Ju, Gaoda, Xing, Tao, Xu, Miaomiao, Liang, Jun, Lin, Yansong. 2024. AEBP1 promotes papillary thyroid cancer progression by activating BMP4 signaling. In Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.), 49, 100972. doi:10.1016/j.neo.2024.100972. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38237535/

4. Zhou, Qianwen, Wang, Xiaoqi, Zhang, Yingxue, Wang, Lie, Chen, Zhijun. 2022. Inhibition of AEBP1 predisposes cisplatin-resistant oral cancer cells to ferroptosis. In BMC oral health, 22, 478. doi:10.1186/s12903-022-02503-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36352396/