Zinc Finger Protein 259 (ZNF259)

ZNF259 was originally identified in mouse as a protein that binds to the cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase domain of the nonactivated EGFRThe Znf259 protein is present in the cytoplasm of quiescent cells and translocates to the nucleus after treatment with mitogens, such as EGF. The deduced ZNF259 proteins share conserved structural motifs, including 2 zinc fingers. The authors demonstrated that human ZNF259 accumulates in the nucleolus of proliferating cells and that this nucleolar localization requires RNA but not DNA. Disruption of the S. pombe znf259 gene, along with complementation analyses using the yeast and mouse Znf259 genes, indicated that znf259 is essential for viability in S. pombe. Loss of S. pombe znf259 function caused a depletion of the rRNA precursor and a reduction in protein translation.