ZEB1 Background Information
ZEB1 (also designated Zfhep, for zinc finger homeodomain enhancer-binding protein, ∂EF1, AREB6, BZP and NIL-2A) is a non-receptor transcription factor analogous to the Drosophila ZFH-1 protein. ZEB1 contains two separate zinc finger domains (ZD1 and ZD2), which are essential for DNA binding and repression, and a homeodomain (HD), which is not. ZEB1 also contains three repression domains, two of which flank ZD1, and a third located between HD and ZD2. ZEB1 represses transcription by site competition and enhancer silencing mechanisms, as well as by interacting with corepressors through its repression domains. Interaction of ZEB1 with the TSH∫ gene T3-response element may play a role in the modification of gene-specific regulation by thyroid hormones. In the embryo, ZEB1 is primarily expressed in the mesoderm, but changes in the level of expression during tissue maturation suggest a role for ZEB1 in the early histogenesis of mesodermal tissues. In addition to its role as an embryonic gene regulator, ZEB1 is also involved in regulating the development of certain skeletal structures.
