Ankyrin repeat family A protein 2 (ANKRA2)

Ankyrin repeat family A protein 2 (ANKRA2) is a scaffold protein characterized by four tandem ankyrin repeat domains, which mediate selective protein–protein interactions. It functions as a regulatory cofactor in cellular complexes, especially by binding to class II histone deacetylases (HDAC4, HDAC5, HDAC9) to facilitate signal-responsive transcriptional repression. ANKRA2 also interacts with plasma membrane proteins such as the megalin receptor and the BKCa potassium channel, suggesting roles in endocytosis and ion channel regulation. In the nucleus, ANKRA2 modulates transcription by acting as a coregulator with RFX family transcription factors, including RFX7, primarily in the context of DNA damage response and p53 signaling. While paralogous to RFXANK, ANKRA2 preferentially complexes with RFX7 and is implicated in the induction of tumor suppressor genes such as PDCD4 and PIK3IP1 upon cellular stress. Currently, ANKRA2 is not a validated drug target, but its roles in epigenetic regulation and immune-related transcription make it biologically significant and a candidate for further investigation in disease biology.

Other names

Ankyrin repeat family A member 2ANKRARFXANK-like protein 2ankyrin repeat family A protein 2ankyrin repeat, family A (RFXANK-like), 2

Not applicable (No drugs directly target ANKRA2; however, class II HDAC inhibitors could theoretically disrupt its protein–protein complexes indirectly)