This gene encodes a transcription factor that is a member of the leucine zipper family of DNA binding proteins. The encoded protein has been identified as a moonlighting protein based on its ability to perform mechanistically distinct functions This protein binds to the cAMP-responsive element (CRE), an octameric palindrome. It forms a homodimer or a heterodimer with c-Jun and stimulates CRE-dependent transcription. This protein is also a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) that specifically acetylates histones H2B and H4 in vitro; thus it may represent a class of sequence-specific factors that activate transcription by direct effects on chromatin components. The encoded protein may also be involved in cell's DNA damage response independent of its role in transcriptional regulation. Several alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found for this gene [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2014]
Forensic Context
A study in porcine skin exposed to bromine vapor demonstrated that the ATF2 transcript was significantly decreased at all post-exposure time points (6h, 48h, 7 days) for both 7- and 17-minute exposures, with fold changes ranging from -2.442 to -3.871, and it was identified as part of commonly altered signaling pathways including IL-10, IL-17, Hepatic Fibrosis/Stellate Cell Activation, and Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling [Price et al. DOI:10.3109/15569527.2010.546003]. In contrast, research on human keratinocytes exposed to X-ray irradiation found no significant induction of the ATF2 transcript [Koike et al. DOI:10.1269/jrr.46.173].