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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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MORF4L1
mortality factor 4 like 1
Chromosome 15 · 15q25.1
NCBI Gene: 10933Ensembl: ENSG00000185787.17HGNC: HGNC:16989UniProt: Q9UBU8
125PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
DNA RepairHighly ConstrainedHomologous RecombinationHub GeneTranscription Factor
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
positive regulation of double-strand break repair via homologous recombinationregulation of cell cycleprotein bindingNuA4 histone acetyltransferase complexangina pectoriscardiovascular diseasemyocardial infarctioncoronary artery disease
✦AI Summary

MORF4L1 (mortality factor 4-like 1) is a multifunctional chr15 remodeling protein that participates in diverse nuclear processes through association with distinct protein complexes. MORF4L1 is a core component of the NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complex, which acetylates histones H4 and H2A to promote transcriptional activation 1. It also associates with the Sin3B histone deacetylase complex, ASH1L histone methyltransferase complex, and PALB2-BRCA2 DNA repair complexes 1. In DNA repair, MORF4L1 enhances homologous recombination by acetylating PALB2 at lysine 628, preventing its degradation, and facilitating H3K4 acetylation to recruit repair factors 2. Beyond nuclear functions, MORF4L1 localizes to mitochondria where it deacetylates TUFM (mitochondrial translation elongation factor), leading to TUFM degradation by the ClpXP protease system and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction 34. MORF4L1 is upregulated in various cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma and contributes to radiotherapy resistance 25. In liver disease, elevated MORF4L1 promotes NASH progression through mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammasome activation 3. The protein is regulated by deubiquitinase USP53, which stabilizes MORF4L1 and suppresses colorectal cancer growth 6.

Sources cited
1
MORF4L1 associates with NuA4/TIP60, Sin3B, ASH1L, and PALB2-BRCA2 complexes through stable native interactions
PMID: 35636729
2
MORF4L1 acetylates PALB2 at lysine 628 and enhances H3K4 acetylation for DNA repair factor recruitment
PMID: 41188483
3
MORF4L1 localizes to mitochondria, deacetylates TUFM leading to its degradation and promotes NASH progression
PMID: 35985547
4
MORF4L1 inhibits mitophagy by degrading TUFM and promotes cell apoptosis in hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis
PMID: 39487311
5
MORF4L1 is upregulated in multiple cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma
PMID: 39827217
6
USP53 deubiquitinase stabilizes MORF4L1 and suppresses colorectal cancer growth
PMID: 41061828
Disease Associationsⓘ20
angina pectorisOpen Targets
0.44Moderate
cardiovascular diseaseOpen Targets
0.41Moderate
myocardial infarctionOpen Targets
0.41Moderate
coronary artery diseaseOpen Targets
0.40Weak
heart diseaseOpen Targets
0.38Weak
Myocardial IschemiaOpen Targets
0.37Weak
coronary atherosclerosisOpen Targets
0.36Weak
occlusion precerebral arteryOpen Targets
0.25Weak
gastritisOpen Targets
0.23Weak
coronary artery bypassOpen Targets
0.23Weak
aortic aneurysmOpen Targets
0.22Weak
heart failureOpen Targets
0.22Weak
percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplastyOpen Targets
0.19Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
nasopharyngeal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
exfoliation syndromeOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
SepsisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
non-alcoholic steatohepatitisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Invasive Breast CarcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
MEAF6Protein interaction100%SUDS3Protein interaction100%KAT6BProtein interaction100%KANSL2Protein interaction100%KANSL3Protein interaction100%FOXR2Protein interaction100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Bone Marrow
55%
Heart
52%
Ovary
50%
Lung
44%
Liver
33%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
MORF4L1MEAF6SUDS3KAT6BKANSL2KANSL3FOXR2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB2F5J · 2.20 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.27Highly Constrained
pLIⓘ
1.00Intolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.10 [0.05–0.27]
RankingsWhere MORF4L1 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #3,771of 20,598
    Most Researched125 · top quartile
  • #915of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.27 · top 10%
Genes detectedMORF4L1
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
MRG15 aggravates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis progression by regulating the mitochondrial proteolytic degradation of TUFM.
PMID: 35985547
J Hepatol · 2022
1.00
2
Targeting MORF4L1-mediated DNA repair potentiates RT-induced antitumor immunity via cGAS-STING activation in hepatocellular carcinoma.
PMID: 41188483
Cell Mol Immunol · 2025
0.90
3
MRG Proteins Are Shared by Multiple Protein Complexes With Distinct Functions.
PMID: 35636729
Mol Cell Proteomics · 2022
0.80
4
MRG15 promotes cell apoptosis through inhibition of mitophagy in hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis.
PMID: 39487311
Apoptosis · 2025
0.70
5
Identification of MORF4L1 as an endogenous substrate of CRBN and its potential role as a therapeutic target in cancer.
PMID: 39827217
Sci Rep · 2025
0.60