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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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DNASE2B
deoxyribonuclease 2 beta
Chromosome 1 · 1p31.1-p22.3
NCBI Gene: 58511Ensembl: ENSG00000137976.8HGNC: HGNC:28875UniProt: Q66K39
21PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
apoptotic DNA fragmentationdeoxyribonuclease II activityextracellular regioncytoplasmhypertensioncardiovascular diseaseAnisometropiaTotal congenital cataract
✦AI Summary

DNASE2B (deoxyribonuclease 2 beta) is an acidic DNase that hydrolyzes DNA without requiring divalent cations 1. It participates in apoptotic DNA fragmentation and plays a critical role in nuclear DNA degradation during lens cell differentiation 2. Evolutionarily, DNASE2B represents the ancestral gene of the DNase2 family, conserved across 700 million years in synteny with the Uox gene, while its paralog DNase2 originated later in jawless fish 1. Clinically, DNASE2B has emerged as a prognostic biomarker across multiple malignancies. In prostate cancer, tumor cell-derived DNASE2B is significantly overexpressed and promotes disease progression by enhancing M2 macrophage infiltration through PSA secretion 3. In lung adenocarcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer, DNASE2B expression correlates with poor prognosis and has been identified as an m6A-associated differentially expressed gene with prognostic significance 4, 5. In papillary thyroid carcinoma, DNASE2B functions as a lysosome-associated gene affecting cell proliferation and invasion 6. Additionally, a DNASE2B SNP (rs3738573) predicts chemosensitivity to docetaxel in gastric cancer 7. Importantly, DNASE2B disruption in Xenopus produces lens defects mimicking human cataracts, including impaired vision and nuclei retention in lens fiber cells 2, supporting its essential role in ocular development.

Sources cited
1
DNASE2B is the ancestral DNase2 family gene conserved across 700 million years; both DNase families expanded in vertebrates
PMID: 35725583
2
DNASE2B disruption causes lens defects including impaired vision and nuclei retention, demonstrating its role in lens cell differentiation
PMID: 31872467
3
Tumor cell-derived DNASE2B is overexpressed in prostate cancer and promotes M2 macrophage infiltration via PSA secretion
PMID: 41005425
4
DNASE2B is a favorable prognosis gene in lung adenocarcinoma development
PMID: 35635202
5
DNASE2B is an m6A-associated differentially expressed gene with prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer
PMID: 41209572
6
DNASE2B is a lysosome-associated gene affecting cell proliferation and invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma
PMID: 40493560
7
DNASE2B rs3738573 SNP predicts docetaxel chemosensitivity in gastric cancer
PMID: 22199298
8
DNASE2B is upregulated in lung tissue of cigarette smokers across multiple independent datasets
PMID: 31506599
Disease Associationsⓘ20
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.39Weak
cardiovascular diseaseOpen Targets
0.32Weak
AnisometropiaOpen Targets
0.27Weak
Total congenital cataractOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
early-onset non-syndromic cataractOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Partial congenital cataractOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Cataract-microcornea syndromeOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
granular corneal dystrophy type IIOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
early-onset zonular cataractOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Posterior polar cataractOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
early-onset nuclear cataractOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
cataract 44Open Targets
0.06Suggestive
pulverulent cataractOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
cataract 12 multiple typesOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Cataract with Y-shaped suture opacitiesOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Anterior polar cataractOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
aniridiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
cataract 8 multiple typesOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
DNASE2Protein interaction76%DNASE1L3Shared pathway50%EXOGShared pathway50%DNASE1L1Shared pathway33%DNASE1L2Shared pathway33%ISG20L2Shared pathway33%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Brain
13%
Bone Marrow
4%
Ovary
4%
Heart
0%
Liver
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
DNASE2BDNASE2DNASE1L3EXOGDNASE1L1DNASE1L2ISG20L2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q66K39
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.21LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.94 [0.73–1.21]
RankingsWhere DNASE2B stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #13,889of 20,598
    Most Researched21
  • #12,725of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.21
Genes detectedDNASE2B
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Origin and significance of the human DNase repertoire.
PMID: 35725583
Sci Rep · 2022
1.00
2
Comprehensive Analysis of Aberrant m6A RNA Modifications Identifies Prognostic Biomarkers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
PMID: 41209572
Int J Med Sci · 2025
0.90
3
Genome-wide identification of chemosensitive single nucleotide polymorphism markers in gastric cancer.
PMID: 22199298
Anticancer Res · 2011
0.80
4
Modeling ocular lens disease in Xenopus.
PMID: 31872467
Dev Dyn · 2020
0.70
5
Bioinformatics Identification of Key Genes for the Development and Prognosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma.
PMID: 35635202
Inquiry · 2022
0.60