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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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BFAR
bifunctional apoptosis regulator
Chromosome 16 · 16p13.12
NCBI Gene: 51283Ensembl: ENSG00000103429.11HGNC: HGNC:17613UniProt: H3BMP2
26PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
negative regulation of apoptotic processprotein bindingprotein-macromolecule adaptor activityubiquitin protein ligase activitybrain aneurysmphosphorus metabolism diseasemetabolic syndromemathematical ability
✦AI Summary

BFAR (bifunctional apoptosis regulator) is a membrane-bound E3 ubiquitin ligase that functions as a multifaceted immunoregulatory protein with complex roles in both promoting and suppressing apoptosis depending on cellular context. Mechanistically, BFAR mediates K63-linked ubiquitination of TGFBR1 to activate TGFβ signaling crucial for Th9 cell differentiation 1, while also promoting K48-linked ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of various substrates including PNPLA3 in lipid metabolism 2 and PRP19 in gastric cancer 3. BFAR suppresses cytokine-induced JAK2 signaling by activating JAK2 deubiquitination, thereby limiting STAT1-mediated CD8+ T cell reprogramming 4. In disease contexts, BFAR elevation promotes gastric and glioma cancer progression: it activates PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in gastric cancer 5, orchestrates neutrophil-mediated immunosuppression through the PRP19-YBX1 axis 3, and is inversely correlated with survival in glioma 6. Therapeutically, BFAR inhibition restores antitumor CD8+ T cell function in aged individuals and enhances checkpoint immunotherapy response, while BFAR elevation in Th9 cells promotes anti-tumor immunity 14. These findings establish BFAR as a critical immunoregulatory node with translational potential as a therapeutic target.

Sources cited
1
BFAR suppresses JAK2 signaling in aged CD8+ T cells, impairing TRM generation and antitumor immunity; BFAR inhibition rescues antitumor activity
PMID: 39592880
2
BFAR is highly expressed in gastric cancer and promotes carcinogenesis and metastasis via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling; bufalin targets BFAR to inhibit GC
PMID: 37253905
3
BFAR mediates K48-linked ubiquitination of PRP19, stabilizing YBX1 to promote neutrophil infiltration and immunosuppression in gastric cancer
PMID: 40966304
4
BFAR is a membrane-bound E3 ubiquitin ligase that mediates ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of PNPLA3
PMID: 38294943
5
BFAR mediates K63-linked ubiquitination of TGFBR1 at K268 to activate TGFβ signaling critical for Th9 differentiation and anti-tumor immunity
PMID: 33914044
6
BFAR expression is increased in glioma and directly targeted by miR-424-5p; high BFAR correlates with poor prognosis
PMID: 32483702
7
BFAR interacts with p75NTR and suppresses NFκB and JNK signaling pathways
PMID: 22566094
Disease Associationsⓘ20
brain aneurysmOpen Targets
0.22Weak
phosphorus metabolism diseaseOpen Targets
0.17Weak
metabolic syndromeOpen Targets
0.16Weak
mathematical abilityOpen Targets
0.13Weak
adolescent idiopathic scoliosisOpen Targets
0.12Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
uterine fibroidOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Uterine leiomyomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
morbid obesityOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
ischemiaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Nijmegen breakage syndromeOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
heart failureOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
melanomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
goutOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
angiosarcomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
PDXDC1Protein interaction92%NOMO1Protein interaction81%ZC3H12AProtein interaction76%UBE2G1Shared pathway63%ARIH2Shared pathway50%UBE2D2Shared pathway44%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Heart
76%
Brain
63%
Ovary
63%
Liver
54%
Bone Marrow
44%
Gene Interaction Network
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BFARPDXDC1NOMO1ZC3H12AUBE2G1ARIH2UBE2D2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q9NZS9
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.16LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.92 [0.73–1.16]
RankingsWhere BFAR stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #12,740of 20,598
    Most Researched26
  • #12,110of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.16
Genes detectedBFAR
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Age-related decline in CD8
PMID: 39592880
Nat Aging · 2024
1.00
2
Bufalin targeting BFAR inhibits the occurrence and metastasis of gastric cancer through PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway.
PMID: 37253905
Apoptosis · 2023
0.90
3
BFAR Promotes Neutrophil Infiltration and Immunosuppressive Reprogramming through the PRP19-YBX1 Axis to Induce Immune Evasion in Gastric Cancer.
PMID: 40966304
Cancer Immunol Res · 2025
0.80
4
The ubiquitin E3 ligase BFAR promotes degradation of PNPLA3.
PMID: 38294943
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 2024
0.70
5
BFAR coordinates TGFβ signaling to modulate Th9-mediated cancer immunotherapy.
PMID: 33914044
J Exp Med · 2021
0.60