SLUG Proteins

Protein Information

Slug, a member of the Snail family of C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factors, was initially identified to be involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transitions as well as the formation of the neural tube during vertebrate embryogenesis. Like Snail, Slug transcription can be induced by growth factors such as FGF, BMP, and TGF-beta. Once expressed, Slug will bind E-box regions of promoters and repress transcription of genes such as E-cadherin and Claudin-1. More recently, its expression in breast, esophogeal, and colorectal carcinomas has been correlated with poor prognosis for survival. Furthermore, Slug can protect hemopoietic progenitor cells from radiation-induced apoptosis by repressing the p53-mediated transcription of Puma, a BH3-only antagonist of the anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family.

Synonyms

MGC10182; neural crest transcription factor Slug; Protein snail homolog 2; SLUG; slug (chicken homolog), zinc finger protein; Slug, chicken homolog; Slugh; SLUGH1; Snai2; snail family transcriptional repressor 2; snail family zinc finger 2; snail homolog 2; Snail2; snail-like protein 2; WS2D; Zinc finger protein SNAI2; zinc finger transcription factor snail 2