YWHAQ (14-3-3 theta) is an adapter protein that regulates diverse signaling pathways through phosphoserine/phosphothreonine motif recognition and modulates binding partner activity 1. It negatively regulates PDPK1 kinase activity and participates in signal transduction, intracellular protein localization, and transcriptional regulation 1. YWHAQ exhibits tissue-specific expression patterns, with high abundance in retinal photoreceptors and neuronal tissues 2. Mechanistically, YWHAQ functions within the PI3K/AKT/FoxO3 and Nrf2-ARE pathways involved in redox homeostasis and erythroid differentiation 3. It interacts with multiple proteins including SORBS2 to regulate cell cycle progression 4. miR-16-5p post-transcriptionally regulates YWHAQ expression to control apoptosis and migration in paclitaxel-resistant breast cancer cells via Bcl-2/Bax modulation 5. Disease relevance spans multiple conditions: YWHAQ promoter hypermethylation reduces expression in preeclamptic placentas, implicating epigenetic dysregulation in pregnancy complications 1. YWHAQ is downregulated in sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome, where it serves as a diagnostic biomarker 6. DNA methylation at TAF1B-YWHAQ influences blood pressure regulation 7, and upregulation occurs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spinal cord, suggesting involvement in neurodegeneration 8. These findings position YWHAQ as a multi-functional adapter with therapeutic potential across cardiovascular, infectious, malignant, and neurological diseases.