Replication factor C subunit 4 (RFC4)

Replication factor C subunit 4 (RFC4) is a 37 kDa protein that forms one of five subunits of the DNA replication factor C (RFC) complex, which functions as a DNA clamp loader during DNA replication and repair. RFC4 is required for the proper elongation of primed DNA templates by DNA polymerases delta and epsilon, facilitating the loading of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and polymerase complexes onto DNA in an ATP-dependent manner. It plays essential roles in multiple DNA repair pathways, telomere maintenance, cell cycle regulation, and DNA damage response. RFC4 is frequently upregulated in various human cancers and is being studied as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as a putative proto-oncogenic driver through its influence on cell proliferation and genomic stability. Although RFC4 is not presently a direct pharmacological target, its involvement in core DNA replication and repair makes it a possible node for combination therapy with DNA-damaging agents, and a candidate for targeted inhibition in tumors with pronounced RFC4 dependency[1][2][3][5].

Other names

A1RFC37Activator 1 37 kDa subunitActivator 1 subunit 4Replication factor C 37 kDa subunitRF-C 37 kDa subunitMRMNS

Not directly targeted by drugs; involvement in modulating response to DNA-damaging agents via DNA replication fidelity and checkpoint pathways; potential synthetic lethality in cancer with defective DNA repair