ATXN2
Function
Involved in EGFR trafficking, acting as negative regulator of endocytic EGFR internalization at the plasma membrane.
Involvement in disease
Spinocerebellar ataxia 2
SCA2
Spinocerebellar ataxia is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of cerebellar disorders. Patients show progressive incoordination of gait and often poor coordination of hands, speech and eye movements, due to cerebellum degeneration with variable involvement of the brainstem and spinal cord. SCA2 belongs to the autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias type I (ADCA I) which are characterized by cerebellar ataxia in combination with additional clinical features like optic atrophy, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar and extrapyramidal signs, peripheral neuropathy and dementia. SCA2 is characterized by hyporeflexia, myoclonus and action tremor and dopamine-responsive parkinsonism. In some patients, SCA2 presents as pure familial parkinsonism without cerebellar signs.
None
The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. SCA2 is caused by expansion of a CAG repeat resulting in about 36 to 52 repeats in some patients. Longer expansions result in earlier the expansion, onset of the disease.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 13
ALS13
A neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper motor neurons in the brain and lower motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord, resulting in fatal paralysis. Sensory abnormalities are absent. The pathologic hallmarks of the disease include pallor of the corticospinal tract due to loss of motor neurons, presence of ubiquitin-positive inclusions within surviving motor neurons, and deposition of pathologic aggregates. The etiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is likely to be multifactorial, involving both genetic and environmental factors. The disease is inherited in 5-10% of the cases.
None
Disease susceptibility is associated with variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. An increased risk for developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis seems to be conferred by CAG repeat intermediate expansions greater than 23 but below the threshold for developing spinocerebellar ataxia.
Sequence Similarities
Belongs to the ataxin-2 family.
Tissue Specificity
Expressed in the brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscle, pancreas and placenta. Isoform 1 is predominant in the brain and spinal cord. Isoform 4 is more abundant in the cerebellum. In the brain, broadly expressed in the amygdala, caudate nucleus, corpus callosum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus and thalamus.
Cellular localization
- Cytoplasm
Alternative names
ATX2, SCA2, TNRC13, ATXN2, Ataxin-2, Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 protein, Trinucleotide repeat-containing gene 13 protein