Zinc finger translocation-associated protein (ZFTA)

Zinc finger translocation-associated protein (ZFTA) is a nuclear protein coded by the ZFTA gene, previously known as C11orf95[4][7]. It is involved in the regulation of gene transcription and is predicted to participate in chromatin remodeling and negative regulation of DNA-templated transcription[1][4]. ZFTA is best known for its role in aggressive pediatric brain tumors, where it forms oncogenic fusion genes—most infamously, ZFTA-RELA (RELA proto-oncogene, NF-κB subunit)—that drive aberrant gene expression via unique epigenetic mechanisms, particularly in RELA fusion-positive ependymomas, a subset of central nervous system tumors[3][5][8]. As a result, detection of ZFTA fusions serves as a critical molecular biomarker for diagnosis and subclassification of ependymoma, though no direct pharmacological inhibitors of ZFTA are in clinical use or widely reported research[3][5].

Other names

C11orf95MGC3032uncharacterized protein C11orf95