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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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TCAF2
TRPM8 channel associated factor 2
Chromosome 7 · 7q35
NCBI Gene: 285966Ensembl: ENSG00000170379.21HGNC: HGNC:26878UniProt: A6NFQ2
18PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transporter
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingtransmembrane transporter bindingnegative regulation of anion channel activitypositive regulation of cell migrationneoplasmgliomacolorectal carcinomabeta-thalassemia-X-linked thrombocytopenia syndrome
✦AI Summary

TCAF2 (TRPM8 channel-associated factor 2) is a membrane-associated protein that functions as a negative regulator of the TRPM8 cold-sensor cation channel while promoting its trafficking to the plasma membrane 1. TCAF2 exhibits opposing regulatory effects compared to its paralog TCAF1, antagonistically modulating TRPM8 activity across multiple tissues 2. Mechanistically, TCAF2 inhibits TRPM8 expression and activity, leading to downstream effects including Wnt5a secretion and JAK2/STAT3 pathway activation 34. Clinically, TCAF2 functions as an oncogene across multiple cancer types. In colorectal cancer, TCAF2 overexpression in pericytes promotes liver metastasis and correlates with poor prognosis 3. In glioma, elevated TCAF2 correlates with tumor grade and independently predicts poor prognosis, driving cell migration and invasion through EMT-like processes via STAT3 signaling 56. Similarly, in gastric cancer, TCAF2 mediates PDE12-driven proliferation, migration, and EMT through JAK2/STAT3 activation 4. Additionally, TCAF2 serves as a component of hypoxic gene expression signatures, being upregulated in hypoxic tumor microenvironments and downregulated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy in glioblastoma 78. These findings position TCAF2 as both a diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target in cancer progression.

Sources cited
1
TCAF2 binds TRPM8, promotes trafficking to cell surface, exerts negative regulation of gating, and promotes prostate cancer cell migration
PMID: 25559186
2
TCAF2 in pericytes inhibits TRPM8 expression/activity, promotes Wnt5a secretion and STAT3 activation, driving colorectal cancer liver metastasis with poor prognosis
PMID: 37635201
3
TCAF2 is upregulated in glioma, correlates with tumor grade and clinical outcome, promotes malignancy through in vitro and in vivo experiments
PMID: 37506986
4
TCAF2 promotes glioma cell migration and invasion through EMT-like process via STAT3 signaling activation
PMID: 38019450
5
PDE12 positively regulates TCAF2 expression, which activates JAK2/STAT3 pathway to promote gastric cancer proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT
PMID: 40628363
6
TCAF1/TCAF2 antagonistically regulate TRPM8, with human-specific TCAF2 duplication and differential expression across tissues, suggesting evolutionary adaptation
PMID: 34433829
7
TCAF2 is one of eight core genes in hypoxic gene expression classifiers with >95% cross-validation accuracy
PMID: 35641902
8
TCAF2 is a hypoxia-inducing gene in glioblastoma that is downregulated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy
PMID: 39446287
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Beta-thalassemia - X-linked thrombocytopeniaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
beta-thalassemia-X-linked thrombocytopenia syndromeOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
primary familial polycythemia due to EPO receptor mutationOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
hemoglobin D diseaseOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
hemolytic anemia due to diphosphoglycerate mutase deficiencyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosisOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
dominant beta-thalassemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type IOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hemoglobin H diseaseOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Hemolytic anemia due to red cell pyruvate kinase deficiencyOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hemoglobin E diseaseOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin-sickle cell disease syndromeOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Hemoglobin C - beta-thalassemiaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hemoglobin C-beta-thalassemia syndromeOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin - beta-thalassemiaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin-beta-thalassemia syndromeOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
acute erythroleukemiaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
PTP4A1Shared pathway50%ARHGEF39Shared pathway50%FAM110CShared pathway33%TCAF1Shared pathway33%ROR2Shared pathway33%CEMIPShared pathway29%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Bone Marrow
64%
Liver
64%
Ovary
56%
Brain
39%
Heart
14%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
TCAF2PTP4A1ARHGEF39FAM110CTCAF1ROR2CEMIP
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q8N1I1
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.95LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.21Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.45 [0.23–0.95]
RankingsWhere TCAF2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #14,831of 20,598
    Most Researched18
  • #8,836of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.95
Genes detectedTCAF2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Hypoxia classifier for transcriptome datasets.
PMID: 35641902
BMC Bioinformatics · 2022
1.00
2
TCAF2 in Pericytes Promotes Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis via Inhibiting Cold-Sensing TRPM8 Channel.
PMID: 37635201
Adv Sci (Weinh) · 2023
0.90
3
TCAF2 is associated with the immune microenvironment, promotes pathogenesis, and impairs prognosis in glioma.
PMID: 37506986
Gene · 2023
0.80
4
Key Genes Involved in the Beneficial Mechanism of Hyperbaric Oxygen for Glioblastoma and Predictive Indicators of Hyperbaric Oxygen Prolonging Survival in Glioblastoma Patients.
PMID: 39446287
Curr Med Sci · 2024
0.70
5
Phosphodiesterase 12 facilitates the growth and metastatic capabilities of gastric cancer cells by activating the TCAF2/JAK2/STAT3 axis.
PMID: 40628363
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis · 2025
0.60