Transcription Factor AP2 Alpha (TFAP2a)

The AP-2 alpha protein acts as a sequence specific DNA-binding transcription factor recognizing and binding to the specific DNA sequence and recruiting transcription machinery. Its binding site is a GC-rich sequence that is present in the cis-regulatory regions of several viral and cellular genes. AP2-alpha is a 52-kD retinoic acid-inducible and developmentally regulated activator of transcription that binds to a consensus DNA-binding sequence CCCCAGGC in the SV40 and metallothionein promoters.

AP-2 alpha is expressed in neural crest cell lineages with the highest levels of expression corresponding to early neural crest cells suggesting that AP-2 alpha plays a role in their differentiation and development.