FIGLA

gene
On this page

Also known as bHLHc8Figalpha

Summary

FIGLA (folliculogenesis specific bHLH transcription factor, HGNC:24669) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 2p13.3, encoding Factor in the germline alpha (Q6QHK4). Germline specific transcription factor implicated in postnatal oocyte-specific gene expression.

This gene encodes a protein that functions in postnatal oocyte-specific gene expression. The protein is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that regulates multiple oocyte-specific genes, including genes involved in folliculogenesis and those that encode the zona pellucida. Mutations in this gene cause premature ovarian failure type 6.

Source: NCBI Gene 344018 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

  • Gene–disease (curated): premature ovarian failure 6 (Strong, GenCC)
  • GWAS associations: 1
  • Clinical variants (ClinVar): 88 total — 4 pathogenic, 2 likely-pathogenic
  • Phenotypes (HPO): 30
  • MANE Select transcript: NM_001004311

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

FieldValue
HGNC IDHGNC:24669
Approved symbolFIGLA
Namefolliculogenesis specific bHLH transcription factor
Location2p13.3
Locus typegene with protein product
StatusApproved
AliasesbHLHc8, Figalpha
Ensembl geneENSG00000183733
Ensembl biotypeprotein_coding
OMIM608697
Entrez344018

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 1 — 1 protein_coding

ENST00000332372

RefSeq mRNA: 1 — MANE Select: NM_001004311 NM_001004311

CCDS: CCDS46320

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000332372 — 5 exons

ExonStartEnd
ENSE000012968837078764970787801
ENSE000013164387079040870790643
ENSE000013207227078541570785639
ENSE000014752457077763770777671
ENSE000017543427077731070777382

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth broad, 75 present calls, max score 96.24.

Top tissues by expression

230 total, by Bgee expression score (0-100, higher = more expressed):

TissueAnatomy IDExpression scoreQuality
oocyteCL:000002396.24gold quality
secondary oocyteCL:000065593.51gold quality
male germ line stem cell (sensu Vertebrata) in testisCL:0000089 ∩ UBERON:000047384.67gold quality
primordial germ cell in gonadCL:0000670 ∩ UBERON:000099161.86gold quality
body of pancreasUBERON:000115049.84gold quality
oviduct epitheliumUBERON:000480446.87silver quality
mucosa of stomachUBERON:000119943.38silver quality
skeletal muscle tissue of rectus abdominisUBERON:000451143.37gold quality
myometriumUBERON:000129643.22gold quality
granulocyteCL:000009442.81silver quality
omental fat padUBERON:001041441.90gold quality
peritoneumUBERON:000235841.89gold quality
adipose tissue of abdominal regionUBERON:000780841.82gold quality
body of uterusUBERON:000985341.79gold quality
pancreasUBERON:000126441.71gold quality
vastus lateralisUBERON:000137941.41gold quality
quadriceps femorisUBERON:000137741.37gold quality
superficial temporal arteryUBERON:000161441.33gold quality
palpebral conjunctivaUBERON:000181241.10gold quality
right ovaryUBERON:000211841.08gold quality
spermCL:000001940.98gold quality
mucosa of paranasal sinusUBERON:000503040.98gold quality
amniotic fluidUBERON:000017340.69gold quality
jejunal mucosaUBERON:000039940.59gold quality
biceps brachiiUBERON:000150740.57gold quality
epithelium of nasopharynxUBERON:000195140.45gold quality
myocardiumUBERON:000234940.45gold quality
gingival epitheliumUBERON:000194940.43gold quality
germinal epithelium of ovaryUBERON:000130440.33gold quality
esophagus squamous epitheliumUBERON:000692040.29gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 2 experiment(s), a significant marker in 1.

ExperimentMarker?Max mean expression
E-MTAB-8381yes994.15
E-ANND-3no0.97

Regulation

Is transcription factor: yes

Downstream targets (CollecTRI)

6 targets.

TargetRegulation
FIGLA
MIR212
TCF3Unknown
ZP1Unknown
ZP2Unknown
ZP3Unknown

JASPAR motifs

MotifNameFamily
MA0820.1FIGLATal-related
MA0820.2FIGLATal-related
MA1934.1ERF::FIGLAEts-related::Tal-related
MA1934.2ERF::FIGLAEts-related::Tal-related
MA1941.1ETV2::FIGLAEts-related::Tal-related
MA1941.2ETV2::FIGLAEts-related::Tal-related
MA1945.1ETV5::FIGLAEts-related::Tal-related
MA1945.2ETV5::FIGLAEts-related::Tal-related

JASPAR matrix evidence (PMIDs): PMID:18499083, PMID:31913281, PMID:24218641

Upstream regulators (CollecTRI, top): FIGLA

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 7)

  • Expression of mRNA observed in ovarian follicles, mature oocytes, and less frequently in preimplantation embryos. (PMID:12468641)
  • These results suggest that FIGLA is involved in continued oocyte survival as primordial follicles form in the human as in the rodent ovary. (PMID:15044608)
  • the p.140 delN mutation disrupted FIGLA binding to the TCF3 helix-loop-helix (HLH) domain. Our findings show that a subset of Chinese women with sporadic, premature ovarian failure harbor mutations in FIGLA. (PMID:18499083)
  • may have a role in the development of primordial follicle before zona pellucida formation (PMID:18502569)
  • study identified an association between FIGLA gene variants and the occurrence of premature ovarian failure(POF) in the Indian population; findings suggest that the c.427G->C and c.557C->T alleles lead to an increased risk of POF in Indian women (PMID:25314148)
  • Biallelic mutations in FIGLA may be the cause of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) . This study will aid researchers and clinicians in genetic counseling of POI and provides new insights into understanding the mode of genetic inheritance of FIGLA mutations in POI pathology. (PMID:29914564)
  • Our results support the notion that bi-allelic recessive loss-of-function effects of FIGLA contribute to POI patients with short stature and expand the FIGLA-related phenotypic spectrum. (PMID:30474133)

Cross-species orthologs

5 orthologs

OrganismSymbolGene ID
danio_reriofiglaENSDARG00000087166
mus_musculusFiglaENSMUSG00000030001
rattus_norvegicusFiglaENSRNOG00000015877
drosophila_melanogastertwiFBGN0003900
caenorhabditis_elegansWBGENE00001953

Paralogs (13): HAND1 (ENSG00000113196), TCF21 (ENSG00000118526), TWIST1 (ENSG00000122691), TCF15 (ENSG00000125878), FERD3L (ENSG00000146618), TCF23 (ENSG00000163792), HAND2 (ENSG00000164107), PTF1A (ENSG00000168267), MSC (ENSG00000178860), BHLHA9 (ENSG00000205899), TWIST2 (ENSG00000233608), SCX (ENSG00000260428), TCF24 (ENSG00000261787)

Protein

Protein identifiers

Factor in the germline alphaQ6QHK4 (reviewed: Q6QHK4)

Alternative names: Class C basic helix-loop-helix protein 8, Folliculogenesis-specific basic helix-loop-helix protein, Transcription factor FIGa

All UniProt accessions (1): Q6QHK4

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Function. Germline specific transcription factor implicated in postnatal oocyte-specific gene expression. Plays a key regulatory role in the expression of multiple oocyte-specific genes, including those that initiate folliculogenesis and those that encode the zona pellucida (ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3) required for fertilization and early embryonic survival. Essential for oocytes to survive and form primordial follicles. The persistence of FIGLA in adult females suggests that it may regulate additional pathways that are essential for normal ovarian development. Binds to the E-box (5’-CANNTG-3’) of the ZPs (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3) promoters.

Subunit / interactions. Heterodimer with TCF3/isoform E12.

Subcellular location. Nucleus.

Tissue specificity. Germ cells. Expressed in the fetal ovary, but not by a range of other tissues. Expression increases across mid-gestation, rising some 40-fold by the time of primordial follicle formation.

Disease relevance. Premature ovarian failure 6 (POF6) [MIM:612310] An ovarian disorder defined as the cessation of ovarian function under the age of 40 years. It is characterized by oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, in the presence of elevated levels of serum gonadotropins and low estradiol. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry.

RefSeq proteins (1): NP_001004311* (*=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

IDNameType
IPR011598bHLH_domDomain
IPR036638HLH_DNA-bd_sfHomologous_superfamily
IPR050283E-box_TF_RegulatorsFamily

Pfam: PF00010

UniProt features (7 total): sequence variant 3, chain 1, domain 1, region of interest 1, compositionally biased region 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

0 structures.

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

ModelpLDDTFraction very-high
AF-Q6QHK4-F171.670.40

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

0 pathways

MSigDB gene sets: 109 (showing top): BENPORATH_ES_WITH_H3K27ME3, GOBP_OOGENESIS, GOBP_CELLULAR_PROCESS_INVOLVED_IN_REPRODUCTION_IN_MULTICELLULAR_ORGANISM, GOBP_OOCYTE_DIFFERENTIATION, GOBP_FEMALE_GAMETE_GENERATION, GOBP_DEVELOPMENTAL_PROCESS_INVOLVED_IN_REPRODUCTION, GOCC_TRANSCRIPTION_REGULATOR_COMPLEX, GOMF_BHLH_TRANSCRIPTION_FACTOR_BINDING, GOMF_PROTEIN_DIMERIZATION_ACTIVITY, GOMF_E_BOX_BINDING, QI_PLASMACYTOMA_DN, GOMF_TRANSCRIPTION_FACTOR_BINDING, GSE13887_HEALTHY_VS_LUPUS_RESTING_CD4_TCELL_UP, GOMF_SEQUENCE_SPECIFIC_DNA_BINDING, chr2p13

GO Biological Process (6): regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0006357), developmental process (GO:0032502), oocyte development (GO:0048599), cell differentiation (GO:0030154), positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0045944), oogenesis (GO:0048477)

GO Molecular Function (10): RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding (GO:0000977), RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding (GO:0000978), DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific (GO:0000981), DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific (GO:0001228), bHLH transcription factor binding (GO:0043425), protein dimerization activity (GO:0046983), sequence-specific double-stranded DNA binding (GO:1990837), DNA binding (GO:0003677), protein binding (GO:0005515), E-box binding (GO:0070888)

GO Cellular Component (3): chromatin (GO:0000785), nucleus (GO:0005634), transcription regulator complex (GO:0005667)

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

CategoryTerms
RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding3
transcription by RNA polymerase II2
germ cell development2
regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II2
regulation of DNA-templated transcription1
biological_process1
oocyte differentiation1
cellular developmental process1
positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription1
female gamete generation1
transcription cis-regulatory region binding1
cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding1
chromatin1
DNA-binding transcription factor activity1
DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific1
DNA-binding transcription activator activity1
positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II1
DNA-binding transcription factor binding1
protein binding1
double-stranded DNA binding1
sequence-specific DNA binding1
nucleic acid binding1
binding1
RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding1
chromosome1
cellular anatomical structure1
intracellular membrane-bounded organelle1
protein-containing complex1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

976 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein AProtein BPartner UniProtScore
FIGLANOBOXO60393978
FIGLABMP15O95972946
FIGLASOHLH1Q5JUK2943
FIGLALHX8Q68G74918
FIGLAFOXL2P58012890
FIGLAYBX2Q9Y2T7865
FIGLAPOF1BQ8WVV4860
FIGLAGDF9O60383821
FIGLAZP1P60852749
FIGLAZP4Q12836742
FIGLAZP3P21754734
FIGLASOHLH2Q9NX45734
FIGLAFMR1Q06787722
FIGLAZP2Q05996720
FIGLADIAPH2O60879715

IntAct

39 interactions, top by confidence:

ABTypeScore
LHX8FIGLApsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.700
FIGLALHX6psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
MYOGFIGLApsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
MYF5FIGLApsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
MYOD1FIGLApsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
FIGLATCF12psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
TCF4FIGLApsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
FIGLALHX3psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
FIGLATCF23psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
FIGLATCF4psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
FIGLATCF3psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
FIGLALHX6psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FIGLAMYOGpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FIGLAMYF5psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FIGLALHX8psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FIGLATCF4psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FIGLAMYOD1psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FIGLATCF12psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FIGLALHX3psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000

BioGRID (20): FIGLA (Two-hybrid), FIGLA (Two-hybrid), FIGLA (Two-hybrid), FIGLA (Two-hybrid), FIGLA (Two-hybrid), FIGLA (Two-hybrid), FIGLA (Two-hybrid), FIGLA (Two-hybrid), TCF4 (Two-hybrid), NES (Affinity Capture-MS), TCF12 (Affinity Capture-MS), ID4 (Affinity Capture-MS), TCF3 (Affinity Capture-MS), TCF4 (Affinity Capture-MS), LHX8 (Affinity Capture-MS)

ESM2 similar proteins: A0A287BDC1, A6NFD8, A8YXY8, B1AXD8, B3F209, F1LXF1, O00287, O14503, O35185, O35779, O35780, O54972, O77638, O95644, P11274, P12755, P36956, Q0D2I5, Q13469, Q3UR85, Q50H33, Q53H80, Q5EA15, Q5RAI7, Q60591, Q60611, Q60698, Q61976, Q6AYH2, Q6NS60, Q6QB00, Q6QHK4, Q6T4P5, Q6ZWB6, Q7TS99, Q7Z6J2, Q8BXL9, Q8N228, Q8R4T5, Q8TEK3

Diamond homologs: A8E5T6, B6VQA1, O13125, O13126, O16867, O35437, O42202, O42606, O43680, O57598, O60682, O73615, O73823, O88940, O93507, O96004, O96642, P13903, P17542, P22091, P24899, P26687, P46581, P48985, P48987, P57100, P57101, P57102, P59101, P61295, P61296, P70661, P79765, P79782, P97831, P97832, Q02575, Q02576, Q02577, Q0VCE2

SIGNOR signaling

0 interactions.

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

88 variants total. Per-class counts are floors (≥ shown; pagination cap):

ClassificationCount (floor)
Pathogenic4
Likely pathogenic2
Uncertain significance42
Likely benign11
Benign26

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (6)

Variant IDHGVSClassification
2137NM_001004311.3(FIGLA):c.15_36del (p.Gly6fs)Pathogenic
2138NM_001004311.3(FIGLA):c.416ACA[1] (p.Asn140del)Pathogenic
3901241NM_001004311.3(FIGLA):c.339T>G (p.Tyr113Ter)Pathogenic
635131NM_001004311.3(FIGLA):c.2T>C (p.Met1Thr)Pathogenic
1256003NM_001004311.3(FIGLA):c.319C>T (p.Leu107Phe)Likely pathogenic
4292272NM_001004311.3(FIGLA):c.164C>A (p.Ser55Ter)Likely pathogenic

SpliceAI

753 predictions. Top by Δscore:

VariantEffectΔscore
2:70790407:CCCG:Cdonor_gain1.0000
2:70790414:ACGCT:Adonor_gain1.0000
2:70790415:CG:Cdonor_gain1.0000
2:70790415:CGCT:Cdonor_gain1.0000
2:70790415:CGCTC:Cdonor_gain1.0000
2:70790418:T:Adonor_gain1.0000
2:70785421:T:TAdonor_gain0.9900
2:70787735:T:TAdonor_gain0.9900
2:70790404:TCA:Tdonor_loss0.9900
2:70790406:AC:Adonor_gain0.9900
2:70790407:C:Adonor_loss0.9900
2:70790407:CC:Cdonor_gain0.9900
2:70790414:A:ACdonor_gain0.9900
2:70790415:C:CCdonor_gain0.9900
2:70790455:A:ACdonor_gain0.9900
2:70790456:C:CCdonor_gain0.9900
2:70785414:CCAGA:Cdonor_gain0.9800
2:70785640:C:CCacceptor_gain0.9800
2:70787802:C:CCacceptor_gain0.9800
2:70790406:A:ACdonor_gain0.9800
2:70790407:C:CCdonor_gain0.9800
2:70787799:TATCT:Tacceptor_loss0.9700
2:70787801:TC:Tacceptor_loss0.9700
2:70787803:T:Aacceptor_loss0.9700
2:70789913:T:Cacceptor_gain0.9700
2:70790419:C:CAdonor_gain0.9700
2:70787638:TAC:Tdonor_gain0.9600
2:70787639:ACA:Adonor_gain0.9600
2:70787640:CAC:Cdonor_gain0.9600
2:70787804:AGAAA:Aacceptor_loss0.9600

AlphaMissense

1414 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

VariantProtein changeam_pathogenicity
2:70787724:T:AK103N0.996
2:70787724:T:GK103N0.996
2:70787770:A:GL88S0.996
2:70787725:T:AK103I0.995
2:70787713:A:TL107H0.994
2:70787705:C:GA110P0.993
2:70787779:A:GF85S0.993
2:70790416:G:TR75S0.993
2:70787713:A:GL107P0.992
2:70790415:C:GR75P0.992
2:70790425:C:GA72P0.992
2:70790409:C:GR77P0.991
2:70787766:C:AK89N0.989
2:70787766:C:GK89N0.989
2:70787779:A:CF85C0.989
2:70787727:G:CS102R0.988
2:70787727:G:TS102R0.988
2:70787729:T:GS102R0.988
2:70790417:C:AE74D0.988
2:70790417:C:GE74D0.988
2:70787726:T:CK103E0.987
2:70787791:A:GL81P0.987
2:70790418:T:AE74V0.987
2:70790420:C:AK73N0.987
2:70790420:C:GK73N0.987
2:70787696:A:GY113H0.986
2:70790419:C:TE74K0.986
2:70787726:T:GK103Q0.984
2:70787728:C:AS102I0.984
2:70787704:G:TA110E0.983

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1000268321 (2:70792177 C>G), RS1000385412 (2:70786686 T>C), RS1000735420 (2:70786445 C>A,T), RS1000766479 (2:70781540 C>A), RS1001125615 (2:70788047 C>G,T), RS1001164504 (2:70790637 A>C,G), RS1001270876 (2:70790806 G>C), RS1001500335 (2:70779075 T>C,G), RS1001791976 (2:70785231 G>A), RS1002473722 (2:70777493 A>C), RS1003507866 (2:70789575 A>G), RS1003560190 (2:70789767 A>C), RS1004110919 (2:70783377 C>A,T), RS1004183926 (2:70790042 C>G,T), RS1004376339 (2:70784125 A>T)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:608697 | disease phenotypes: MIM:612310

GenCC curated gene-disease

DiseaseClassificationInheritance
premature ovarian failure 6StrongAutosomal recessive

Mondo (1): premature ovarian failure 6 (MONDO:0012861)

Orphanet (1): Rare genetic premature ovarian failure (Orphanet:485382)

HPO phenotypes

30 total (30 of 30 shown, HPO-id order):

HPOTerm
HP:0000013Hypoplasia of the uterus
HP:0000062Ambiguous genitalia
HP:0000133Gonadal dysgenesis
HP:0000144Decreased fertility
HP:0000252Microcephaly
HP:0000365Hearing impairment
HP:0000786Primary amenorrhea
HP:0000823Delayed puberty
HP:0000837Increased circulating gonadotropin level
HP:0000869Secondary amenorrhea
HP:0000938Osteopenia
HP:0001166Arachnodactyly
HP:0001251Ataxia
HP:0001470Sex-limited expression
HP:0001939Abnormality of metabolism/homeostasis
HP:0002206Pulmonary fibrosis
HP:0002225Sparse pubic hair
HP:0002750Delayed skeletal maturation
HP:0004322Short stature
HP:0004349Reduced bone mineral density
HP:0005625Osteoporosis of vertebrae
HP:0008209Premature ovarian insufficiency
HP:0008214Decreased serum estradiol
HP:0008222Female infertility
HP:0008232Elevated circulating follicle stimulating hormone level
HP:0008684Aplasia/hypoplasia of the uterus
HP:0009888Abnormality of secondary sexual hair
HP:0010311Aplasia/Hypoplasia of the breasts
HP:0010464Streak ovary
HP:0011969Elevated circulating luteinizing hormone level

GWAS associations

1 associations (top):

StudyTraitp-value
GCST002481_1Acne (severe)5.000000e-06

MeSH disease descriptors (1)

DescriptorNameTree numbers
C567351Premature Ovarian Failure 6 (supp.)

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: no

PharmGKB: 1 entry (VIP=true, CPIC=false)

CTD chemical–gene interactions

4 total (human), top 4 by PubMed support.

ChemicalActions (top 5)PubMed papers
bisphenol Aaffects methylation1
CGP 52608increases reaction, affects binding1
Benzo(a)pyreneincreases methylation, decreases methylation1
Aflatoxin B1decreases methylation1

Cellosaurus cell lines

3 cell lines: 3 embryonic stem cell

First 10 cell lines (id-ordered, not curated):

CellosaurusNameCategorySex
CVCL_A1U4SEES3-1V human FIGLA, clone1Embryonic stem cellMale
CVCL_A1U5SEES3-1V human FIGLA, clone2Embryonic stem cellMale
CVCL_A1U6SEES3-1V human FIGLA, clone3Embryonic stem cellMale

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

2 trials via MONDO — disease-level, not drug-specific.

TrialPhaseStatusTitle
NCT03178695PHASE1COMPLETEDInovium Ovarian Rejuvenation Trials
NCT04009473PHASE1/PHASE2UNKNOWNStem Cell Therapy and Growth Factor Ovarian in Vitro Activation