WT1 transcription factor
Last updated 27 Oct 2023
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The WT1 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is necessary for the development of the kidneys and gonads (ovaries in females and testes in males) before birth. After birth, WT1 protein activity is limited to a structure known as the glomerulus, which filters blood through the kidneys. The WT1 protein plays a role in cell growth, the process by which cells mature to perform specific functions (differentiation), and the self-destruction of cells (apoptosis). To carry out these functions, the WT1 protein regulates the activity of other genes by attaching (binding) to specific regions of DNA. On the basis of this action, the WT1 protein is called a transcription factor.
Normal function
The WT1 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is necessary for the development of the kidneys and gonads (ovaries in females and testes in males) before birth. After birth, WT1 protein activity is limited to a structure known as the glomerulus, which filters blood through the kidneys. The WT1 protein plays a role in cell growth, the process by which cells mature to perform specific functions (differentiation), and the self-destruction of cells (apoptosis). To carry out these functions, the WT1 protein regulates the activity of other genes by attaching (binding) to specific regions of DNA. On the basis of this action, the WT1 protein is called a transcription factor.
Conditions referring to this gene or chromosome
Other names
WIT-2
WT1_HUMAN
WT33
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Further reading and references
- WT1 transcription factor; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Al-Hussain T, Ali A, Akhtar M. Wilms tumor: an update. Adv Anat Pathol. 2014 May;21(3):166-73. doi: 10.1097/PAP.0000000000000017.
- Andrade JG, Guaragna MS, Soardi FC, Guerra-Junior G, Mello MP, Maciel-Guerra AT. Clinical and genetic findings of five patients with WT1-related disorders. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol. 2008 Nov;52(8):1236-43. doi: 10.1590/s0004-27302008000800006.
- Ariyaratana S, Loeb DM. The role of the Wilms tumour gene (WT1) in normal and malignant haematopoiesis. Expert Rev Mol Med. 2007 May 24;9(14):1-17. doi: 10.1017/S1462399407000336.
- Deng C, Dai R, Li X, Liu F. Genetic variation frequencies in Wilms' tumor: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Cancer Sci. 2016 May;107(5):690-9. doi: 10.1111/cas.12910. Epub 2016 Mar 18.
- Heathcott RW, Morison IM, Gubler MC, Corbett R, Reeve AE. A review of the phenotypic variation due to the Denys-Drash syndrome-associated germline WT1 mutation R362X. Hum Mutat. 2002 Apr;19(4):462. doi: 10.1002/humu.9031.
- Miller-Hodges E, Hohenstein P. WT1 in disease: shifting the epithelial-mesenchymal balance. J Pathol. 2012 Jan;226(2):229-40. doi: 10.1002/path.2977. Epub 2011 Sep 29.
- Salvatorelli L, Parenti R, Leone G, Musumeci G, Vasquez E, Magro G. Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) protein: Diagnostic utility in pediatric tumors. Acta Histochem. 2015 May-Jun;117(4-5):367-78. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2015.03.010. Epub 2015 Apr 14.
- Suri M, Kelehan P, O'neill D, Vadeyar S, Grant J, Ahmed SF, Tolmie J, McCann E, Lam W, Smith S, Fitzpatrick D, Hastie ND, Reardon W. WT1 mutations in Meacham syndrome suggest a coelomic mesothelial origin of the cardiac and diaphragmatic malformations. Am J Med Genet A. 2007 Oct 1;143A(19):2312-20. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.31924.
- Yang L, Han Y, Suarez Saiz F, Minden MD. A tumor suppressor and oncogene: the WT1 story. Leukemia. 2007 May;21(5):868-76. doi: 10.1038/sj.leu.2404624. Epub 2007 Mar 15.
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