TAF6 is a transcriptional coactivator and component of the general transcription factor TFIID complex that regulates RNA polymerase II-dependent gene expression 1. TAF6 functions primarily as a positive regulator of transcription, recruited to promoters of genes including GADD45A and CDKN1A/p21 to drive their upregulation 2. The protein acts as a transcriptional coactivator for TP53/p53-responsive genes such as DUSP1, while paradoxically downregulating MDM2 expression, thereby modulating p53 pathway dynamics. TAF6 can activate transcription and apoptosis independently of p53 status by upregulating pro-apoptotic effectors including BCL2L11/BIM and PMAIP1/NOXA via the intrinsic apoptotic pathway 2. Structurally, TAF6 contains a C-terminal HEAT repeat domain critical for heterodimerization with TAF9 within the TFIID complex, with assembly regulated by the chaperonin CCT 13. In cancer contexts, TAF6 functions downstream of SETD1A to promote G1/S cell cycle progression in gastric cancer cells via the E2F4 axis 4. Disease associations include Alazami-Yuan syndrome and autism spectrum disorder, with TAF6 mutations identified in neurodevelopmental disorder cohorts 56. Alternative splicing of TAF6 generates pro-apoptotic TAF6δ isoforms with distinct transcriptional consequences 2.