Enables DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific and sequence-specific double-stranded DNA binding activity. Involved in positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Predicted to be located in chromatin. [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Jul 2025]
Forensic Context
A study in human postmortem brain tissue demonstrated that the EGR4 was downregulated in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of subjects with opioid use disorder compared to non-psychiatric controls, as identified through next-generation RNA sequencing [Mendez et al. DOI:10.1038/s41380-021-01259-y]. This finding was part of a broader dysregulation of immediate early genes converging on pro-angiogenic gene networks, with cell-type specific enrichment analyses revealing these effects in astrocytes, endothelial cells, and microglia.