NPAS2 Gene (Protein Coding)

• The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-PAS family of transcription factors. A similar mouse protein may play a regulatory role in the acquisition of specific types of memory. It also may function as a part of a molecular clock operative in the mammalian forebrain. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

NPAS2 (Neuronal PAS Domain Protein 2) is a Protein Coding gene. Diseases associated with NPAS2 include Anxiety and Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. Among its related pathways are Regulation of lipid metabolism by Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) and Circadian rythm related genes. Gene Ontology (GO) annotations related to this gene include DNA-binding transcription factor activity and protein dimerization activity. An important paralog of this gene is CLOCK.

• Transcriptional activator which forms a core component of the circadian clock. The circadian clock, an internal time-keeping system, regulates various physiological processes through the generation of approximately 24 hour circadian rhythms in gene expression, which are translated into rhythms in metabolism and behavior. It is derived from the Latin roots 'circa' (about) and 'diem' (day) and acts as an important regulator of a wide array of physiological functions including metabolism, sleep, body temperature, blood pressure, endocrine, immune, cardiovascular, and renal function. Consists of two major components: the central clock, residing in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the brain, and the peripheral clocks that are present in nearly every tissue and organ system. Both the central and peripheral clocks can be reset by environmental cues, also known as Zeitgebers (German for 'timegivers'). The predominant Zeitgeber for the central clock is light, which is sensed by retina and signals directly to the SCN. The central clock entrains the peripheral clocks through neuronal and hormonal signals, body temperature and feeding-related cues, aligning all clocks with the external light/dark cycle. Circadian rhythms allow an organism to achieve temporal homeostasis with its environment at the molecular level by regulating gene expression to create a peak of protein expression once every 24 hours to control when a particular physiological process is most active with respect to the solar day. Transcription and translation of core clock components (CLOCK, NPAS2, ARNTL/BMAL1, ARNTL2/BMAL2, PER1, PER2, PER3, CRY1 and CRY2) plays a critical role in rhythm generation, whereas delays imposed by post-translational modifications (PTMs) are important for determining the period (tau) of the rhythms (tau refers to the period of a rhythm and is the length, in time, of one complete cycle). A diurnal rhythm is synchronized with the day/night cycle, while the ultradian and infradian rhythms have a period shorter and longer than 24 hours, respectively. Disruptions in the circadian rhythms contribute to the pathology of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, metabolic syndromes and aging. A transcription/translation feedback loop (TTFL) forms the core of the molecular circadian clock mechanism. Transcription factors, CLOCK or NPAS2 and ARNTL/BMAL1 or ARNTL2/BMAL2, form the positive limb of the feedback loop, act in the form of a heterodimer and activate the transcription of core clock genes and clock-controlled genes (involved in key metabolic processes), harboring E-box elements (5'-CACGTG-3') within their promoters. The core clock genes: PER1/2/3 and CRY1/2 which are transcriptional repressors form the negative limb of the feedback loop and interact with the CLOCK NPAS2-ARNTL/BMAL1 ARNTL2/BMAL2 heterodimer inhibiting its activity and thereby negatively regulating their own expression. This heterodimer also activates nuclear receptors NR1D1/2 and RORA/B/G, which form a second feedback loop and which activate and repress ARNTL/BMAL1 transcription, respectively. The NPAS2-ARNTL/BMAL1 heterodimer positively regulates the expression of MAOA, F7 and LDHA and modulates the circadian rhythm of daytime contrast sensitivity by regulating the rhythmic expression of adenylate cyclase type 1 (ADCY1) in the retina. NPAS2 plays an important role in sleep homeostasis and in maintaining circadian behaviors in normal light/dark and feeding conditions and in the effective synchronization of feeding behavior with scheduled food availability. Regulates the gene transcription of key metabolic pathways in the liver and is involved in DNA damage response by regulating several cell cycle and DNA repair genes. Controls the circadian rhythm of NR0B2 expression by binding rhythmically to its promoter (By similarity). Mediates the diurnal variation in the expression of GABARA1 receptor in the brain and contributes to the regulation of anxiety-like behaviors and GABAergic neurotransmission in the ventral striatum (By similarity).

  • NPAS2_HUMAN,Q99743

• HGNC(7895)
• Entrez Gene(4862)
• Ensembl(ENSG00000170485)
• OMIM(603347)
• UniProtKB(Q99743)
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• Search for NPAS2 at DataMed
• Search for NPAS2 at HumanCyc

No data available for CIViC Summary , Tocris Summary , PharmGKB "VIP" Summary , Rfam classification and piRNA Summary for NPAS2 Gene

No data available for DME Specific Peptides for NPAS2 Gene

No data available for Graphical View of Domain Structure and UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot for NPAS2 Gene

No data available for Enzyme Numbers (IUBMB) , Human Phenotype Ontology and Transcription Factor Targets for NPAS2 Gene

Subcellular locations from UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot for NPAS2 Gene

No data available for SIGNOR curated interactions for NPAS2 Gene

No data available for mRNA differential expression in normal tissues , mRNA Expression by UniProt/SwissProt and Phenotype-based relationships between genes and organs from Gene ORGANizer for NPAS2 Gene

No data available for UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot and Genatlas for NPAS2 Gene

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