OLIG2 (少突胶质细胞转录因子)

OLIG2 (oligodendrocyte transcription factor) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. The protein is of 329 amino acids in length, 32 kDa in size and contains one basic helix-loop-helix DNA-binding domain. It is one of the three members of the bHLH family. The other two members are OLIG1 and OLIG3. The expression of OLIG2 is mostly restricted in central nervous system, where it acts as both an anti-neurigenic and a neurigenic factor at different stages of development. OLIG2 is well known for determining motor neuron and oligodendrocyte differentiation, as well as its role in sustaining replication in early development. It is mainly involved in diseases such as brain tumor and Down syndrome.
OLIG2 is highly expressed in glioblastoma, astrocytoma and oligodendrogliomas, and it serves as a diagnostic marker for glial tumors. OLIG2 also plays a critical role in gliomagenesis and tumor phenotype plasticity. Furthermore, OLIG2 expression has been shown to correlate with survival in patients with SHH-MBs^[1][2].