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GeneE
25 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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BIRC2
baculoviral IAP repeat containing 2
Chromosome 11 · 11q22.2
NCBI Gene: 329Ensembl: ENSG00000110330.11HGNC: HGNC:590UniProt: Q13490
351PubMed Papers
20Diseases
1Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Hub GeneTranscription Factor
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly StudiedTrending
CLINICAL
Clinical Trials
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
transcription coactivator activityubiquitin-protein transferase activityprotein bindingzinc ion bindingneurodegenerative diseasepreeclampsianeoplasmhepatocellular carcinoma
✦AI Summary

BIRC2 is a multi-functional E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase that regulates apoptosis, NF-κB signaling, and innate immunity. As an inhibitor of apoptosis protein, BIRC2 suppresses caspase activation and protects cells from death through ubiquitination of caspases and death-domain proteins 1. BIRC2 regulates both canonical and non-canonical NF-κB signaling: it positively regulates canonical NF-κB while suppressing the non-canonical pathway by ubiquitinating NIK (NFκB-inducing kinase) 1. This NF-κB inhibition decreases MHC-I expression, enabling immune evasion in hepatocellular carcinoma cells 1. BIRC2 also regulates cell-cycle progression and DNA damage response through histone H3 binding via its BIR domains 2. Clinically, elevated BIRC2 expression correlates with poor prognosis across multiple cancers including HCC, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and pancreatic cancer 134. BIRC2 mediates drug resistance by suppressing apoptosis through interactions with upstream regulators like CITED4 and NAP1L1 45. BIRC2 blockade enhances anti-PD-1 immunotherapy efficacy by sensitizing tumor cells to T-cell killing and improving T-cell function 1. Small-molecule BIRC2 inhibitors like LCL161 disrupt histone binding and induce cancer cell death 2, representing promising therapeutic strategies.

Sources cited
1
BIRC2 suppresses non-canonical NF-κB signaling via NIK ubiquitination, decreasing MHC-I expression and enabling immune evasion; BIRC2 blockade sensitizes HCC cells to T-cell killing and enhances PD-1 immunotherapy
PMID: 40223121
2
BIRC2-BIRC3 gene signature predicts poor survival in HNSCC; BIRC2 inhibition modulates NF-κB signaling and is associated with independent survival prediction
PMID: 35985688
3
CITED4 directly regulates BIRC2 expression; BIRC2 upregulation mediates gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer by inhibiting apoptosis; elevated BIRC2 expression associates with poorer outcomes
PMID: 40389954
4
NAP1L1 regulates BIRC2 stability through UBR4-mediated ubiquitination; BIRC2 knockdown inhibits HCC cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis
PMID: 38538582
5
BIRC2 accumulates in nucleus via BIR2 and BIR3 domains binding histone H3; BIRC2 depletion affects interferon/defense response and cell-cycle genes; LCL161 disrupts BIRC2-H3 association and induces cancer cell death
PMID: 37524969
6
BRD7 negatively regulates BIRC2 enhancer activity and expression; BIRC2 promotes NPC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and metastasis; BIRC2 correlates with TNM stage
PMID: 36788209
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.45Moderate
preeclampsiaOpen Targets
0.32Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Weak
head and neck squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
nasopharyngeal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
cholangiocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
lymphomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Mobius syndromeOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Okt4 epitope deficiencyOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Drug Targets1
BIRINAPANTPhase II
cIAP1/cIAP2 inhibitor
lymphoma
Related Genes
CYLDProtein interaction100%IKBKBProtein interaction100%TNFProtein interaction100%TNFRSF1BProtein interaction100%IKBKGProtein interaction100%MAP3K7Protein interaction100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Liver
83%
Heart
65%
Brain
56%
Lung
56%
Ovary
48%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
BIRC2CYLDIKBKBTNFTNFRSF1BIKBKGMAP3K7
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB4HY4 · 1.25 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.38Moderately Constrained
pLIⓘ
1.00Intolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.24 [0.15–0.38]
RankingsWhere BIRC2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #888of 20,598
    Most Researched351 · top 5%
  • #1,837of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.38 · top quartile
Genes detectedBIRC2
Sources retrieved25 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
25▼
1
BIRC2 blockade facilitates immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.
PMID: 40223121
Mol Cancer · 2025
1.00
2
Prognostic Significance of the
PMID: 35985688
Cancer Genomics Proteomics · 2022
0.90
3
An Activity-Guided Map of Electrophile-Cysteine Interactions in Primary Human T Cells.
PMID: 32730809
Cell · 2020
0.80
4
USP36 inhibits apoptosis by deubiquitinating cIAP1 and survivin in colorectal cancer cells.
PMID: 38876304
J Biol Chem · 2024
0.76
5
NAP1L1 regulates BIRC2 ubiquitination modification via E3 ubiquitin ligase UBR4 and hence determines hepatocellular carcinoma progression.
PMID: 38538582
Cell Death Discov · 2024
0.70