Mouse TCF-3/E2A Antibody

TCF-3 (Transcription factor 3; also Transcription factor A1 and E2A/alpha plus E12/E47) is a 68-75 kDa nuclear class I member of the bHLH family of molecules. It should not be confused with TCF-3, otherwise known as TCF7-L1, an epidermis-associated beta-catenin regulator. TCF-3 is ubiquitously expressed, and generally serves as a transcriptional regulator. It is able to form covalent homodimers, and following phosphorylation, heterodimers with tissue-specific class II bHLH factors, thus impacting the proliferation and differentiation of select cell types. While heterodimers, and possibly homodimers, activate genes by binding to E boxes, heterodimers involving Id proteins are gene repressors. Mouse TCF-3/E12 is 651 amino acids (aa) in length. It contains one Leu-zipper motif (aa 387-422) plus a bHLH domain (aa 544‑604). TCF-3 contains at least three potential Ser phosphorylation sites. There is one alternative splice form that is termed E47 and shows a 69 aa substitution for aa 527-598. This involves the bHLH domain, and it is believed that each splice form has a distinct function(s). Both splice forms (E12 and E47) do occur simultaneously in the same cell type. Over aa 33-159, mouse TCF-3 shares 94% and 75% aa sequence identity with rat and human TCF-3, respectively.