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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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ZKSCAN4
zinc finger with KRAB and SCAN domains 4
Chromosome 6 · 6p22.1
NCBI Gene: 387032Ensembl: ENSG00000187626.10HGNC: HGNC:13854UniProt: A0A0S2Z658
40PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transcription Factor
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
identical protein bindingprotein bindingnucleoplasmnucleusneurodegenerative diseasedepressive disorderhepatocellular carcinomahypertrophy
✦AI Summary

ZKSCAN4 is a zinc finger transcription factor containing KRAB and SCAN domains located on chromosome 6. It functions as an RNA polymerase II-specific DNA-binding transcription factor involved in regulating gene expression 1. In the hippocampus, ZKSCAN4 promotes stress resilience by directly binding the Htr2a promoter and recruiting glucocorticoid receptors to transcriptionally repress the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2a gene, thereby reducing excitatory synaptic transmission 1. Reduced hippocampal ZKSCAN4 expression is observed in patients with major depressive disorder and stress-susceptible mice; ZKSCAN4 disruption is sufficient to induce depression-like behaviors following subthreshold stress 1. ZKSCAN4 also interacts with phosphorylated YY1 to induce HDM2 gene expression in endothelial cells under disturbed flow conditions, contributing to atherosclerosis development 2. Genetically, ZKSCAN4 variants have been associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder 34, and ZKSCAN4 methylation status is associated with myopia risk and responds to environmental temperature exposure 56. Recent studies identified ZKSCAN4 as a potential drug target for lung cancer treatment 7. These findings suggest ZKSCAN4's role in neuropsychiatric resilience, vascular function, and disease susceptibility.

Sources cited
1
ZKSCAN4 expression is reduced in major depressive disorder patients and stress-susceptible mice; it promotes stress resilience by repressing Htr2a transcription in the hippocampus
PMID: 40408492
2
ZKSCAN4 interacts with phospho-YY1 to induce HDM2 expression under disturbed flow conditions, promoting atherosclerosis in endothelial cells
PMID: 34747636
3
ZKSCAN4 genetic variants are associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in genome-wide association studies
PMID: 31096178
4
ZKSCAN4 variants are associated with psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
PMID: 25667193
5
ZKSCAN4 DNA methylation (cg01192291) is significantly associated with myopia risk in multi-omics analysis
PMID: 39538342
6
ZKSCAN4 methylation status is associated with ambient temperature exposure and mediates temperature effects on blood pressure
PMID: 31884209
7
ZKSCAN4 is identified as a key drug target for lung cancer treatment in Mendelian randomization analysis
PMID: 41436647
8
ZKSCAN4 is identified as an immune-related core gene for diagnosing osteoarthritis with metabolic syndrome
PMID: 37138862
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.36Weak
depressive disorderOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
hypertrophyOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
major depressive disorderOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
cardiac hypertrophyOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
schizophreniaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
metabolic syndromeOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
myopiaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
epilepsyOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
psychiatric disorderOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
dilated cardiomyopathyOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
ulcerative colitisOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
microphthalmia with limb anomaliesOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
hypothyroidismOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
ZNF174Protein interaction84%ZKSCAN8Protein interaction84%ZNF213Protein interaction84%SCAND1Protein interaction84%ZNF444Protein interaction84%PGBD1Protein interaction84%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Ovary
100%
Brain
96%
Liver
89%
Heart
81%
Lung
63%
Bone Marrow
59%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
ZKSCAN4ZNF174ZKSCAN8ZNF213SCAND1ZNF444PGBD1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q969J2
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.04LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.76 [0.56–1.04]
RankingsWhere ZKSCAN4 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #10,265of 20,598
    Most Researched40
  • #10,338of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.04
Genes detectedZKSCAN4
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
DNA methylation biomarkers and myopia: a multi-omics study integrating GWAS, mQTL and eQTL data.
PMID: 39538342
Clin Epigenetics · 2024
1.00
2
Hippocampal Zkscan4 confers resilience to chronic stress-induced depression-like behaviors.
PMID: 40408492
Sci Adv · 2025
0.90
3
Environmental temperature and human epigenetic modifications: A systematic review.
PMID: 31884209
Environ Pollut · 2020
0.80
4
Unveiling novel potential drug targets for lung cancer through Mendelian randomization analysis.
PMID: 41436647
Sci Rep · 2025
0.70
5
Unravelling the genetic basis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with GWAS: A systematic review.
PMID: 31096178
J Psychiatr Res · 2019
0.60