Background of the antigen
Early B-cell factor 2 is a 575 amino acid protein belonging to the COE family of proteins, whose members are all helix-loop-helix transcription factors. EBF2 is a transcription factor which, in synergy with the Wnt-responsive LEF1/CTNNB1 pathway, activates the decoy receptor for RANKL, OPG, in osteoblasts. OPG, in turn, regulates osteoclast differentiation. Lack of EBF2 has been found to cause a small defect in the terminal differentiation of osteoblasts, along with reduced bone mass and an increase in osteoclasts. Localized to the nucleus, EBF2 forms a homodimer or a heterodimer with a related family member.
