Myeloid Zinc Finger Protein 1 (MZF1)

The MZF1 gene is a putative transcription factor of the C2H2 zinc finger gene family. MZF1 regulated the CD34 promoter in a tissue-specific manner.Zinc finger genes encode metal-binding proteins that can act as transcriptional regulators of other genes.  Sequence analysis of the coding region for the gene demonstrated 13 zinc finger regions and a glycine-proline-rich region between the fourth and fifth zinc finger domains. This novel zinc finger gene, which they designated MZF1, was preferentially expressed in myeloid leukemia cell lines, with highest mRNA levels in cells induced to differentiate with retinoic acid.MZF1 gene contains 6 exons and spans about 11.2 kb. Exon 1 is noncoding. The MZF1 transcript initiates within intron 5 and includes only exon 6 as a coding exon.