HomeAboutRankingsData Sources
© 2026 GeneE
🧬
GeneE
50 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
ⓘGeneE is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
BMI1
BMI1 proto-oncogene, polycomb ring finger
Chromosome 10 · 10p12.2
NCBI Gene: 648Ensembl: ENSG00000168283.15HGNC: HGNC:1066UniProt: P35226
606PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Hub GeneOncogeneTranscription Factor
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly Studied
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingRING-like zinc finger domain bindingnegative regulation of gene expression, epigeneticpositive regulation of fibroblast proliferationneurodegenerative diseasebladder neck obstructionbreast cancerneoplasm
✦AI Summary

BMI1 is a core member of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) that functions as a critical epigenetic regulator of gene expression. As a component of the PRC1-like complex, BMI1 regulates the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase activity of RNF2 to mediate monoubiquitination of histone H2A at lysine 119, establishing repressive chr10 states that are heritably maintained 12. BMI1 operates through dual mechanisms: gene repression via chr10 modification and gene activation, with both pathways contributing to its biological functions 3. In normal physiology, BMI1 is essential for stem cell self-renewal and multipotency. BMI1 overexpression drives erythroid self-renewal through repression of INK-ARF and activation of cholesterol homeostasis genes, achieving billion-fold expansion of human erythroblasts 3. Similarly, BMI1 regulates human mesenchymal stem cell self-renewal by repressing p16(INK4A), while loss of BMI1 impairs both proliferation and differentiation capacity 4. BMI1 overexpression is pathologically significant across multiple malignancies. In hepatocellular carcinoma, BMI1-high tumor-initiating cells exhibit enhanced invasiveness through epigenetic upregulation of cathepsin B secretion 5. In endometrial cancer, elevated BMI1 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition, enhances radiotherapy resistance, and increases migration and invasion 67. BMI1 silencing sensitizes cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiation by inducing DNA damage and autophagy 89, making BMI1 a therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Sources cited
1
BMI1 regulates E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase activity in PRC1 complex and mediates H2A monoubiquitination
PMID: 21772249
2
PRC1 complex with BMI1 binds nucleosomes and mediates H2A ubiquitination
PMID: 25355358
3
BMI1 regulates erythroid self-renewal through both gene repression and activation, achieving billion-fold expansion
PMID: 40817093
4
BMI1 is critical for self-renewal and multipotency in human mesenchymal stem cells via p16(INK4A) repression
PMID: 26763885
5
BMI1-high tumor-initiating cells drive hepatocellular carcinoma invasiveness through epigenetic upregulation of cathepsin B
PMID: 37923799
6
BMI1 overexpression promotes endometrial cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while reducing apoptosis
PMID: 35281533
7
BMI1 promotes endometrial cancer through EMT and AKT/PI3K pathways and confers chemoradiotherapy resistance
PMID: 36563713
8
BMI1 silencing radiosensitizes breast cancer cells by inducing DNA damage and autophagy
PMID: 28260023
9
Bmi1 gene silencing inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation and invasiveness while increasing chemotherapy sensitivity
PMID: 23242307
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.37Weak
bladder neck obstructionOpen Targets
0.14Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.12Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
gliomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
esophageal squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
nasopharyngeal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
head and neck squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
Mobius syndromeOpen Targets
0.11Weak
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.11Weak
Miyoshi myopathyOpen Targets
0.10Weak
acute lymphoblastic leukemiaOpen Targets
0.10Weak
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
RING1Protein interaction100%RNF2Protein interaction100%YAF2Protein interaction100%CDC27Protein interaction100%CDC23Protein interaction100%CDC16Protein interaction100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Bone Marrow
83%
Heart
64%
Liver
57%
Lung
41%
Ovary
39%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
BMI1RING1RNF2YAF2CDC27CDC23CDC16
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB6WI7 · 1.70 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.41Moderately Constrained
pLIⓘ
1.00Intolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.24 [0.14–0.41]
RankingsWhere BMI1 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #387of 20,598
    Most Researched606 · top 5%
  • #2,137of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.41 · top quartile
Genes detectedBMI1
Sources retrieved50 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
50▼
1
BMI1 regulates human erythroid self-renewal through both gene repression and gene activation.
PMID: 40817093
Nat Commun · 2025
1.00
2
Co-targeting BMI1 and MYC to eliminate cancer stem cells in squamous cell carcinoma.
PMID: 40239645
Cell Rep Med · 2025
0.90
3
Cathepsin-facilitated invasion of BMI1-high hepatocellular carcinoma cells drives bile duct tumor thrombi formation.
PMID: 37923799
Nat Commun · 2023
0.90
4
Role of the polycomb group gene BMI1 in normal and leukemic hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
PMID: 20308890
Curr Opin Hematol · 2010
0.88
5
SOX4-BMI1 axis promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression and facilitates angiogenesis by suppressing ZNF24.
PMID: 39349443
Cell Death Dis · 2024
0.86