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/C—uncertain significance
rs3721698391:33,549,664A/G—uncertain significance
rs341906901:33,556,279C/Tintron variant—
rs3766952371:33,557,705G/A—uncertain significance
rs25226503431:33,557,741G/T—likely benign
rs10367127621:33,557,751A/T—uncertain significance
rs7697476361:33,557,786G/A—uncertain significance
rs25226520151:33,557,810C/T—uncertain significance
rs1512454141:33,557,813C/T—benign
rs12210677541:33,558,933G/A—uncertain significance
rs801372171:33,558,992C/A—benign
rs7564345051:33,560,198A/G—uncertain significance
rs7751119341:33,560,211G/A—uncertain significance
rs3686554971:33,560,263C/A—uncertain significance
rs1157192631:33,562,316C/T—benign
rs25227519361:33,562,392T/A—uncertain significance
rs168352441:33,562,416G/Amissense variant—
rs7771352251:33,563,692C/T—uncertain significance
rs7698113421:33,563,769A/C—uncertain significance
rs11726049491:33,583,507C/A—uncertain significance
rs10565549891:33,583,560G/A—uncertain significance
rs7730304041:33,583,654T/C—likely benign
rs10193193111:33,583,663C/G—uncertain significance
rs12830390931:33,583,665T/C—likely benign
rs7507597791:33,583,707C/T—uncertain significance
rs12386908961:33,585,752G/A—uncertain significance

Gene information from NCBI Gene. Variant classifications from ClinVar.