TCF7L2: Proteins and Enzymes

TCF7L2, or TCF4, is a high mobility group (HMG) box-containing transcription factor that plays a key role in the Wnt signaling pathway. TCF7L2 has been implicated in glucose homeostasis through the regulation of pro-glucagon gene expression, which encodes glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Genetic variants of TCF7L2 have been linked to type 2 diabetes, and it has specifically been shown to have an important role in the regulation of both 946;-cell survival and function (4). Several splicing isoforms for TCF7L2 have been shown to be differentially expressed in tissues during cancer progression (3), and gene targeting studies indicate that TCF7L2 is required to maintain the crypt stem cells of the small intestine (1, 2).