Epithelial splicing regulatory protein 2 (ESRP2)

Epithelial splicing regulatory protein 2 (ESRP2) is a RNA-binding protein that regulates the alternative splicing of numerous pre-mRNAs specifically in epithelial cells, often directing the production of epithelial-type splice isoforms over mesenchymal variants, and thus plays a pivotal role in maintaining the epithelial phenotype[1][2][6][7]. ESRP2 contains RNA recognition motifs and acts primarily in the nucleus, coordinating epithelial-specific splicing events that underlie cell differentiation, epithelial integrity, and suppression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)[6][7]. ESRP2 expression is dynamic: it is upregulated during organ development and maintained in differentiated epithelial tissues, but downregulated during EMT, cancer cell invasion, and inflammatory or disease-associated tissue reprogramming (such as in alcohol-related liver disease)[1][3][4][7]. ESRP2 often acts in concert with the closely related ESRP1, and loss of ESRP2 (through mutation, downregulation, or epigenetic silencing) has been implicated in increased cell proliferation, cancer progression, decreased cell-cell adhesion, and mesenchymal transitions[1][3][4][5][7]. In cancers such as prostate cancer and Wilms tumor, ESRP2 levels can serve as independent prognostic markers for disease progression and patient survival[4][5][7]. No direct drug interactions or pharmacological inhibitors are currently known, and while ESRP2 is a critical regulatory protein, it is not itself a direct therapeutic target of currently approved drugs.

Other names

FLJ21918PP7059RBM35BRNA-binding motif protein 35B