Abstract 2893 Recombinant bHLH Transcription Factor TWIST2 and its Truncated Mutant, Q119X, Have DNA Binding Activity

TWIST2 is a 160-amino acids long basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that can activate or repress target genes and is expressed in a tissue-specific manner. TWIST2 regulates developmental processes, cell differentiation and maturation events, and the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in normal embryogenesis as well as in cancer progression and tumor invasion. The bHLH transcription factors recognize and bind to DNA as dimers to elements known as enhancer boxes (E-box), with a consensus binding site of 5' CANNTG 3', present in regulatory regions of target genes.