PHD Finger Protein 2 (PHF2)

PHF2 encodes a protein which contains a zinc finger-like PHD (plant homeodomain) finger, distinct from other classes of zinc finger motifs, and a hydrophobic and highly conserved domain. The PHD finger shows the typical Cys4-His-Cys3 arrangement. PHD finger genes are thought to belong to a diverse group of transcriptional regulators possibly affecting eukaryotic gene expression by influencing chromatin structure.

The PHF2 cDNA encodes a putative 1,099-amino acid protein with a PHD finger motif at the N terminus, 8 putative nuclear localization signals, and 2 PEST (proline-glutamic acid-serine-threonine) domains. Northern blot analysis of adult human tissues detected a 5.5-kb transcript in all tissues examined.