Entrez 7019 | Ensembl ENSG00000108064 | |
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External IDs MGI: 107810 HomoloGene: 31139 GeneCards: TFAM | ||
Mitochondrial transcription factor A, abbreviated as TFAM or mtTFA, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TFAM gene.
Contents
Function
This gene encodes a mitochondrial transcription factor that is a key activator of mitochondrial transcription as well as a participant in mitochondrial genome replication. TFAM binds mitochondrial promoter DNA to aid transcription of the mitochondrial genome. Studies in mice have demonstrated that this gene product is required to regulate the mitochondrial genome copy number and is essential for embryonic development. A mouse model for Kearns-Sayre syndrome was produced when expression of this gene was eliminated by targeted disruption in heart and muscle cells. TFAM is a double box High-mobility group DNA-binding and bending protein.