Transcriptional repressor CTCFL (Brother of the regulator of imprinted sites) (CTCFL)

Transcriptional repressor CTCFL (Brother of the regulator of imprinted sites; CTCFL, also called BORIS) is a testis-specific DNA-binding protein and a paralog of the insulator protein CTCF, sharing a highly conserved central DNA binding region composed of eleven zinc fingers. Unlike the ubiquitous tumor suppressor CTCF, CTCFL expression is normally restricted to male germline cells but is aberrantly activated in various cancers, where it can promote gene expression programs favorable to tumor growth, such as cell proliferation and activation of oncogenic transcriptional networks. CTCFL functions as a transcription factor and epigenetic regulator, directly binding DNA and recruiting chromatin and histone modifiers to regulate imprinted gene methylation, nuclear architecture, and chromatin looping. Due to its cancer-testis antigen expression pattern and functional importance for cancer cell survival, especially in cancer stem cells, CTCFL is under investigation as a target for immunotherapeutic approaches aiming to selectively kill CTCFL-expressing cancer cells while sparing most normal somatic tissues.

Other names

BORISCT27dJ579F20.2Cancer/testis antigen 27CTCF-like proteinCTCF-THMGB1L1Transcriptional repressor CTCFLBrother of the regulator of imprinted sitesZinc finger protein CTCF-TBORIS-like protein

Experimental immunotherapies: Induction of immune response against tumor cells overexpressing CTCFL; potential T-cell mediated cytotoxicity targeting CTCFL-expressing cancer cells