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Target intelligence / Profile preview
PR domain zinc finger protein 16 (PRDM16)
- Target
- PRDM16
- Molecular classification
- Transcription factor, Zinc finger protein, Histone methyltransferase (specifically H3K9me1)
01
Overview
PR domain zinc finger protein 16 (PRDM16) is a nuclear zinc finger transcription factor and histone methyltransferase that plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cell fate between myoblasts and brown adipocytes. It controls thermogenic gene expression in brown and beige fat, confers resistance to obesity by promoting energy expenditure, and acts as a tumor suppressor in hematologic malignancies. Pathologically, chromosomal translocations causing overexpression of PRDM16 without the PR domain are implicated in the development of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. The protein operates via DNA binding, histone methylation (H3K9me1), and acts as a transcriptional coregulator repressing TGF-β signaling and modulating various differentiation pathways.
- Other names
- PR domain-containing protein 16Transcription factor MEL1MEL1PFM13KIAA1675
02
Mechanism of action
For experimental or theoretical drugs: Modulation of PRDM16 function could involve altering its transcriptional activity, histone methyltransferase activity, or influencing its protein-protein interactions governing cell fate.
03
Biological functions
Cell fate determination between muscle and brown adipose cellsTranscriptional regulation of brown and beige adipocyte differentiationChromatin modification (histone methylation)Repression of TGF-β signalingRegulation of cell proliferation and differentiation
04
Disease associations
Cancer (leukemia, particularly acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, due to chromosomal translocation)Cardiovascular disease (Left Ventricular Noncompaction)Obesity/metabolic disease (brown fat thermogenesis, energy expenditure)
05
Safety considerations
Potential oncogenic effects if mutated or aberrantly expressed (truncated isoforms associated with leukemia)Unknown off-target effects for agents that may modulate PRDM16 function systemically (such as developmental toxicity or cancer risk)
06
Interacting drugs
No clinically approved drugs currently directly target PRDM16; research is ongoing into modulators that may affect its expression or function. Experimental compounds or indirect approaches (e.g., through upstream pathways or epigenetic modulation) may impact PRDM16 activity.
07
Biomarkers
PRDM16 expression or mutation—used in research for certain cancer diagnoses (AML/MDS with t(1;3)(p36;q21) translocation)Expression patterns as biomarkers for brown/beige adipogenesis in metabolic studies
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