Functional analysis of ATAD2 and ATAD2B

Bromodomain-containing proteins (BRDs) are responsible for diverse epigenetic functions including transcriptional regulation and chromatin remodeling. One BRD of interest, ATAD2, has been shown to be enriched in S-phase of the cell cycle and high expression has been shown to be correlated with aggressive breast, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. We also look to apply our analysis to ATAD2’s less studied homolog ATAD2B. Our lab has used immunofluorescence to study these BRDs in context of the cell cycle and is currently working to effectively deplete these proteins. Immunofluorescence assays have shown that while ATAD2 is highly enriched in S-phase, it is also present in other cells in the cell cycle, hypothesized to be in G2. ATAD2B does not appear to be cell-cycle dependent, as it is consistently expressed in all stages of the cell cycle. ATAD2’s association with S-phase could possibly be explanatory of it’s association with proliferation of cancer cells if it is aiding in DNA replication. Therefore, it makes an attractive target for therapeutic BRD inhibitors