AZIN2

antizyme inhibitor 2

Summary

The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the antizyme inhibitor family, which plays a role in cell growth and proliferation by maintaining polyamine homeostasis within the cell. Antizyme inhibitors are homologs of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, the key enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis) that have lost the ability to decarboxylase ornithine; however, retain the ability to bind to antizymes. Antizymes negatively regulate intracellular polyamine levels by binding to ODC and targeting it for degradation, as well as by inhibiting polyamine uptake. Antizyme inhibitors function as positive regulators of polyamine levels by sequestering antizymes and neutralizing their effect. This gene encodes antizyme inhibitor 2, the second member of this gene family. Like antizyme inhibitor 1, antizyme inhibitor 2 interacts with all 3 antizymes and stimulates ODC activity and polyamine uptake. However, unlike antizyme inhibitor 1, which is ubiquitously expressed and localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm, antizyme inhibitor 2 is predominantly expressed in the brain and testis and localized in the endoplasmic reticulum-golgi intermediate compartment. Recent studies indicate that antizyme inhibitor 2 is also expressed in specific cell types in ovaries, adrenal glands and pancreas, and in mast cells. The exact function of this gene is not known, however, available data suggest its role in cell growth, spermiogenesis, vesicular trafficking and secretion. Accumulation of antizyme inhibitor 2 has also been observed in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. There has been confusion in literature and databases over the nomenclature of this gene, stemming from an earlier report that a human cDNA clone (identical to ODCp/AZIN2) had arginine decarboxylase (ADC) activity (PMID:14738999). Subsequent studies in human and mouse showed that antizyme inhibitor 2 was devoid of arginine decarboxylase activity (PMID:19956990). Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been described for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2014]

Known Variants26 total

rsidPosition (GRCh37)AllelesClassClinVar
rs14648439101:33,547,941T/Cuncertain significance
rs3721698391:33,549,664A/Guncertain significance
rs341906901:33,556,279C/Tintron variant
rs3766952371:33,557,705G/Auncertain significance
rs25226503431:33,557,741G/Tlikely benign
rs10367127621:33,557,751A/Tuncertain significance
rs7697476361:33,557,786G/Auncertain significance
rs25226520151:33,557,810C/Tuncertain significance
rs1512454141:33,557,813C/Tbenign
rs12210677541:33,558,933G/Auncertain significance
rs801372171:33,558,992C/Abenign
rs7564345051:33,560,198A/Guncertain significance
rs7751119341:33,560,211G/Auncertain significance
rs3686554971:33,560,263C/Auncertain significance
rs1157192631:33,562,316C/Tbenign
rs25227519361:33,562,392T/Auncertain significance
rs168352441:33,562,416G/Amissense variant
rs7771352251:33,563,692C/Tuncertain significance
rs7698113421:33,563,769A/Cuncertain significance
rs11726049491:33,583,507C/Auncertain significance
rs10565549891:33,583,560G/Auncertain significance
rs7730304041:33,583,654T/Clikely benign
rs10193193111:33,583,663C/Guncertain significance
rs12830390931:33,583,665T/Clikely benign
rs7507597791:33,583,707C/Tuncertain significance
rs12386908961:33,585,752G/Auncertain significance

Gene information from NCBI Gene. Variant classifications from ClinVar.