ATAD2

ATAD2
Identifiers
Aliases	ATAD2, ANCCA, CT137, PRO2000, ATPase family, AAA domain containing 2, ATPase family AAA domain containing 2
External IDs	OMIM: 611941; MGI: 1917722; GeneCards: ATAD2
Available structures
PDB	Ortholog search: PDBe RCSB
List of PDB id codes
	3DAI, 4QSP, 4QSQ, 4QSR, 4QSS, 4QST, 4QSU, 4QSV, 4QSW, 4QSX, 4QUT, 4QUU, 4TT2, 4TT4, 4TT6, 4TTE, 4TU4, 4TU6, 4TYL, 4TZ2, 4TZ8, 5A5N, 5A5O, 5A5P, 5A5Q, 5A5R, 5A81, 5A82, 5A83
Gene location (Human)
Chr.	Chromosome 8 (human)
End	123,416,350 bp
Gene location (Mouse)
Chr.	Chromosome 15 (mouse)
End	57,998,478 bp
RNA expression pattern
	Top expressed in
	secondary oocyte; ; ventricular zone; ; testicle; ; ganglionic eminence; ; bone marrow; ; amniotic fluid; ; trabecular bone; ; sperm; ; gonad; ; tendon of biceps brachii;
	Top expressed in
	tail of embryo; ; genital tubercle; ; epiblast; ; spermatid; ; bone marrow; ; thymus; ; ventricular zone; ; zygote; ; uterus; ; morula;
	More reference expression data
	n/a
Gene ontology
Molecular function	nucleotide binding; histone binding; chromatin binding; hydrolase activity; ATP binding; ATPase activity; protein binding;
Cellular component	extracellular exosome; nucleus; nucleoplasm;
Biological process	positive regulation of transcription, DNA-templated; regulation of transcription, DNA-templated; transcription, DNA-templated; positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II; chromatin organization; regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II;
	Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs
Databases	NCBI: entry; OMA: entry
	29028
	70472
	ENSG00000156802
	ENSMUSG00000022360
	Q6PL18
	Q8CDM1
	NM_014109
	NM_027435; NM_153199
	NP_054828
	NP_081711; NP_001391691; NP_001391693; NP_001391694; NP_001391695
	Wikidata
View/Edit Human	View/Edit Mouse

ATPase family AAA domain containing 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ATAD2 gene.

The protein encoded by this gene contains two AAA domains and a bromodomain. It acts as a coactivator of transcription factors. Overexpression of ATAD2 promotes cellular proliferation and is associated with poorer outcomes in several types of cancer. ATAD2 has therefore been investigated as both a prognostic biomarker and a potential drug target for cancer treatment.

Structure

ATAD2 is a nuclear protein of 1,390 amino acids containing an acidic N-terminal region, two tandem AAA+ ATPase domains, a bromodomain and a C-terminal domain. Its ATPase domain supports ATP-dependent activity and oligomerization, while its bromodomain forms a four-helix bundle that recognizes acetylated lysine residues on histone tails, promoting association with chromatin.

Function

ATAD2 participates in chromatin organization, DNA replication and transcriptional regulation. It acts as a transcriptional coactivator for estrogen and androgen receptors, MYC and E2F transcription factors.

Clinical significance

Cancer

ATAD2 promotes the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and survival. It is frequently overexpressed in cancers, where increased expression is associated with tumor progression and poorer prognosis.

Biomarker

ATAD2 has been proposed as a prognostic biomarker in several cancers. A meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 2,689 patients associated high ATAD2 expression with shorter overall survival and poorer recurrence-related outcomes.

As a drug target

ATAD2 is being investigated as a cancer drug target because experimental inhibition or depletion can suppress cancer cell growth. Its acetyllysine-binding bromodomain provides a binding site for small-molecule inhibitors.

References

1 2 3 GRCh38: Ensembl release 89: ENSG00000156802 – Ensembl, May 2017
1 2 3 GRCm38: Ensembl release 89: ENSMUSG00000022360 – Ensembl, May 2017
↑ "Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
↑ "Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
↑ Biju T, Venkatesh C, Honnasiddappa DB, Sajjan M, Mahadeva NK, Dinesh BG, et al. (June 2025). "ATAD2 bromodomain in cancer therapy: current status and future perspectives". International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 311 (Pt 3) 143948. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.143948. PMID 40334884.
↑ "ATAD2". Reference Sequence Collection; National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).
1 2 3 4 Fu J, Zhang J, Chen X, Liu Z, Yang X, He Z, et al. (2023). "ATPase family AAA domain-containing protein 2 (ATAD2): From an epigenetic modulator to cancer therapeutic target". Theranostics. 13 (2): 787–809. doi:10.7150/thno.78840. PMC 9830439. PMID 36632213.
↑ Garain T, Rai P, Li W, Banerjee S (October 2025). "ATAD2 as a Cancer Target: Insights into Its Structure, Functions, Mechanisms, and Drug Development". Cancers. 17 (20). Basel: 3337. doi:10.3390/cancers17203337. PMC 12563300. PMID 41154392.
↑ Han HJ, Huang QY, Huang LJ, Chang F, Diao QZ (September 2019). "Prognostic value of ATPase family, AAA+ domain containing 2 expression in human cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis". Medicine. 98 (39) e17180. Baltimore. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000017180. PMC 6775384. PMID 31574824.

Liu H, Wen Q, Yan S, Zeng W, Zou Y, Liu Q, et al. (July 2022). "Tumor-Promoting ATAD2 and Its Preclinical Challenges". Biomolecules. 12 (8): 1040. doi:10.3390/biom12081040. PMC 9405547. PMID 36008934.
Nayak A, Dutta M, Roychowdhury A (July 2021). "Emerging oncogene ATAD2: Signaling cascades and therapeutic initiatives". Life Sciences. 276 119322. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119322. PMID 33711386.
Hussain M, Zhou Y, Song Y, Hameed HM, Jiang H, Tu Y, et al. (January 2018). "ATAD2 in cancer: a pharmacologically challenging but tractable target". Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets. 22 (1): 85–96. doi:10.1080/14728222.2018.1406921. PMID 29148850.
Cattaneo M, Morozumi Y, Perazza D, Boussouar F, Jamshidikia M, Rousseaux S, et al. (December 2014). "Lessons from yeast on emerging roles of the ATAD2 protein family in gene regulation and genome organization". Molecules and Cells. 37 (12): 851–856. doi:10.14348/molcells.2014.0258. PMC 4275701. PMID 25377252.
Boussouar F, Jamshidikia M, Morozumi Y, Rousseaux S, Khochbin S (October 2013). "Malignant genome reprogramming by ATAD2". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms. 1829 (10): 1010–1014. doi:10.1016/j.bbagrm.2013.06.003. PMID 23831842.

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

[refGRCh38Ensembl-1] 1 2 3 GRCh38: Ensembl release 89: ENSG00000156802 – Ensembl, May 2017

[refGRCm38Ensembl-2] 1 2 3 GRCm38: Ensembl release 89: ENSMUSG00000022360 – Ensembl, May 2017

[3] "Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

[4] "Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

[Biju_2025-5] Biju T, Venkatesh C, Honnasiddappa DB, Sajjan M, Mahadeva NK, Dinesh BG, et al. (June 2025). "ATAD2 bromodomain in cancer therapy: current status and future perspectives". International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 311 (Pt 3) 143948. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.143948. PMID 40334884.

[ATAD2_NLM-6] "ATAD2". Reference Sequence Collection; National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

[Fu_2023-7] 1 2 3 4 Fu J, Zhang J, Chen X, Liu Z, Yang X, He Z, et al. (2023). "ATPase family AAA domain-containing protein 2 (ATAD2): From an epigenetic modulator to cancer therapeutic target". Theranostics. 13 (2): 787–809. doi:10.7150/thno.78840. PMC 9830439. PMID 36632213.

[Garain_2025-8] Garain T, Rai P, Li W, Banerjee S (October 2025). "ATAD2 as a Cancer Target: Insights into Its Structure, Functions, Mechanisms, and Drug Development". Cancers. 17 (20). Basel: 3337. doi:10.3390/cancers17203337. PMC 12563300. PMID 41154392.

[9] Han HJ, Huang QY, Huang LJ, Chang F, Diao QZ (September 2019). "Prognostic value of ATPase family, AAA+ domain containing 2 expression in human cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis". Medicine. 98 (39) e17180. Baltimore. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000017180. PMC 6775384. PMID 31574824.