SLUG (Zinc Finger Protein SNAI2, Protein Snail Homolog 2, Neural Crest Transcription Factor Slug, SNAI2, SLUGH) (AP)

Slug, a member of the Snail family of zinc finger transcription factors, whose expression is induced by FGF, BMP, and TGF-b, is a 29kD transcriptional repressor, which functions by binding to E-box motifs and inhibiting gene expression by recruiting histone deacetylase-1 (HDAC-1). Slug controls the expression of a wide variety of genes including TP53, BRCA2, PUM and CDH1, and has important roles in apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. It is also thought to function in neural crest development. Slug expression in breast, oesophageal, and colorectal carcinomas has been correlated with...