E74-like ETS transcription factor 5 (ELF5)

E74-like ETS transcription factor 5 (ELF5) is a member of the ETS family of transcription factors with expression restricted mainly to epithelial cells, especially in glandular tissues such as the breast, salivary glands, prostate, and lung[1][2][3][4]. ELF5 plays critical roles in epithelial cell fate specification, the later stages of keratinocyte differentiation, mammary gland alveolar development, and the regulation of specific gene expression programs during tissue morphogenesis and differentiation[1][2][3][4]. In early embryogenesis, ELF5 is a decisive regulator of trophoblast lineage commitment. ELF5 acts as both a tumor suppressor and an oncogene, with context-dependent roles: in some cancers (e.g., basal/mesenchymal triple-negative breast cancer), ELF5 suppresses tumor progression, while in others (e.g., certain subtypes of breast and lung cancer), high ELF5 expression may promote tumor proliferation and metastasis or resistance to therapy[2]. ELF5 is also implicated in disease risk modulation, such as severe COVID-19, where a genetic variant affecting ELF5 expression increases risk in lung endothelium[1]. ELF5 functions primarily through regulation of downstream epithelial gene expression and suppression of pathways like APC2 in lung cancer, impacting cell proliferation and tissue specificity[2][3][4]. No known drugs directly target ELF5, and it serves primarily as a disease biomarker and potential therapeutic target in oncology and infectious disease susceptibility[2][4]. **Note:** No direct drugs or small-molecule modulators are currently known to interact with ELF5; its main relevance is as a transcriptional regulator and disease biomarker rather than a classic drug target[2][3][4].

Other names

Epithelium-specific Ets transcription factor 2Epithelium-restricted ESE-1-related Ets factorESE2ESE-2E74-like factor 5