PiggyBac transposable element-derived protein 1 (PGBD1)

PiggyBac transposable element-derived protein 1 (PGBD1) is a mammal-specific, domesticated transposase-derived protein that has lost its ancestral transposase activity but gained regulatory functions through acquisition of SCAN and KRAB domains[1][2][3]. It acts as a DNA-binding transcriptional regulator, highly expressed in certain brain regions, and is involved in the maintenance and fate control of neuronal progenitor cells by controlling the transcription of the long non-coding RNA NEAT1, which is essential for paraspeckle formation[1][2][3]. PGBD1 binding modulates transcriptional pausing at target genes, especially NEAT1, and its depletion enhances NEAT1 expression, paraspeckle formation, and neuronal differentiation[1][2][3]. Genome-wide association studies have suggested that genetic variants in PGBD1 may influence schizophrenia risk, although findings are population-specific and not yet fully established[3]. PGBD1 is not known to be a direct therapeutic target, there are no known approved drugs or biomarker applications, and safety concerns related to direct pharmacological targeting have not been reported[1][2][3].

Other names

HUCEP-4SCAND4dJ874C20.4cerebral protein 4piggyBac transposable element-derived protein 1