Its expression varies in the cell cycle. It codes for a protein which belongs to a new family of proteins, the peroxiredoxines, involved in the response to oxidative stress and associated with proliferation and differentiation. These proteins may act as cellular transducers of signals involving modification of the redox status of the cell. The OZF gene encodes a protein solely composed of ten zinc finger motives. Its expression is restricted to some tissues and organs.
Amplification leads to overexpression.
More than half of the tumors without OZF amplification, overexpress the OZF gene whose expression is weak or absent in normal pancreas. Therefore, this gene may be involved in the emergence or the progression of pancreatic carcinomas. In parallel, we study the function of the OZF gene in normal cell by searching for the target genes regulated by the OZF protein and the proteins interacting with it. The OZF overexpression is under investigation in other types of tumors exhibiting define steps of progression, to determine at what stage of the progression it is associated. A. Accumulation of OZF protein is observed in 5 of 8 tumors.