HomeAboutRankingsData Sources
© 2026 GeneE
🧬
GeneE
10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
ⓘGeneE is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
ZCCHC12
zinc finger CCHC-type containing 12
Chromosome X · Xq24
NCBI Gene: 170261Ensembl: ENSG00000174460.5HGNC: HGNC:27273UniProt: Q6PEW1
29PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transcription Factor
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingnucleusnucleic acid bindingzinc ion bindingtype 2 diabetes mellituspapillary thyroid carcinomaobesityosteosarcoma
✦AI Summary

ZCCHC12 (zinc finger CCHC-type containing 12) functions as a transcriptional coactivator with roles in multiple signaling pathways and cancer progression. The protein localizes to the nucleus through a novel nuclear localization signal and is highly expressed in brain tissue, specifically in neuroepithelium of forebrain, midbrain, and diencephalon regions during embryonic development 1. ZCCHC12 enhances transcriptional activities of activator protein 1 (AP-1) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) as a coactivator 1. In cancer contexts, ZCCHC12 acts as an oncogene, being significantly upregulated in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) where it correlates with lymph node metastasis and promotes cell colony formation, migration, and invasion 2. The protein also promotes osteosarcoma progression through PI3K/AKT pathway activation, enhancing proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition while inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest when downregulated 3. In PTC, ZCCHC12+ tumor cells interact with CD36+ proinflammatory macrophages, contributing to tumor progression and recurrence 4. Additionally, ZCCHC12 expression is regulated by competing endogenous RNA networks involving LINC00475 and miR-376c-3p in thyroid cancer 5. The gene has also been incorporated into machine learning-based prognostic models for hepatoblastoma 6.

Sources cited
1
ZCCHC12 has nuclear localization signal, is highly expressed in brain, and acts as transcriptional coactivator for AP-1 and CREB
PMID: 19578717
2
ZCCHC12 is upregulated in papillary thyroid cancer, correlates with lymph node metastasis, and promotes cell colony formation, migration, and invasion
PMID: 28424903
3
ZCCHC12 promotes osteosarcoma progression via PI3K/AKT pathway activation
PMID: 36126191
4
ZCCHC12+ tumor cells interact with CD36+ macrophages in papillary thyroid cancer promoting tumor progression
PMID: 39178310
5
ZCCHC12 expression is regulated by LINC00475/miR-376c-3p network in papillary thyroid cancer
PMID: 34950770
6
ZCCHC12 is incorporated into machine learning-based prognostic models for hepatoblastoma
PMID: 40618698
Disease Associationsⓘ20
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.19Weak
papillary thyroid carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
obesityOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
sleep apneaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
astrocytomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
oligodendrogliomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
juvenile idiopathic arthritisOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
endometrial carcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
head and neck squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Intellectual disabilityOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
leukemiaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Neurodevelopmental disorderOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
pituitary cancerOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
ataxia telangiectasiaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
CDR2LProtein interaction95%PNMA1Protein interaction82%SUMO1Protein interaction76%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Ovary
36%
Bone Marrow
7%
Lung
2%
Liver
1%
Heart
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
ZCCHC12CDR2LPNMA1SUMO1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q6PEW1
View on AlphaFold ↗
RankingsWhere ZCCHC12 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #12,278of 20,598
    Most Researched29
Genes detectedZCCHC12
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Human ZCCHC12 activates AP-1 and CREB signaling as a transcriptional co-activator.
PMID: 19578717
Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) · 2009
1.00
2
CD36+ Proinflammatory Macrophages Interact with ZCCHC12+ Tumor Cells in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Promoting Tumor Progression and Recurrence.
PMID: 39178310
Cancer Immunol Res · 2024
0.90
3
A ceRNA network mediated by LINC00475 in papillary thyroid carcinoma.
PMID: 34950770
Open Med (Wars) · 2022
0.80
4
Leveraging machine learning and single-cell RNA sequencing strategies to develop a risk prognosis scoring based on liquid-liquid phase separation feature genes in pediatric hepatoblastoma.
PMID: 40618698
Comput Biol Med · 2025
0.70
5
ZCCHC12 promotes the progression of osteosarcoma via PI3K/AKT pathway.
PMID: 36126191
Aging (Albany NY) · 2022
0.60