YBX2

gene
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Also known as MSY2CSDA3Contrin

Summary

YBX2 (Y-box binding protein 2, HGNC:17948) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 17p13.1, encoding Y-box-binding protein 2 (Q9Y2T7). Major constituent of messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs).

This gene encodes a nucleic acid binding protein which is highly expressed in germ cells. The encoded protein binds to a Y-box element in the promoters of certain genes but also binds to mRNA transcribed from these genes. Pseudogenes for this gene are located on chromosome 10 and 15.

Source: NCBI Gene 51087 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

  • Clinical variants (ClinVar): 53 total
  • MANE Select transcript: NM_015982

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

FieldValue
HGNC IDHGNC:17948
Approved symbolYBX2
NameY-box binding protein 2
Location17p13.1
Locus typegene with protein product
StatusApproved
AliasesMSY2, CSDA3, Contrin
Ensembl geneENSG00000006047
Ensembl biotypeprotein_coding
OMIM611447
Entrez51087

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 9 — 4 protein_coding, 4 retained_intron, 1 protein_coding_CDS_not_defined

ENST00000007699, ENST00000570627, ENST00000570720, ENST00000571127, ENST00000571464, ENST00000571485, ENST00000571834, ENST00000859311, ENST00000859312

RefSeq mRNA: 1 — MANE Select: NM_015982 NM_015982

CCDS: CCDS11098

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000007699 — 9 exons

ExonStartEnd
ENSE0000263372872882637288643
ENSE0000264111472942307294639
ENSE0000346605872887497288838
ENSE0000347324072895307289725
ENSE0000357152072910937291182
ENSE0000359679472920267292059
ENSE0000360077172902517290535
ENSE0000363185272934757293538
ENSE0000368547172899687290071

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth ubiquitous, 130 present calls, max score 99.68.

FANTOM5 (CAGE): breadth broad, TPM avg 1.3649 / max 229.1512, expressed in 358 samples.

FANTOM5 promoters (8 alternative TSS)

Promoter IDTPM avgSamples expressed
1642020.9180339
1642000.306190
1641940.046911
1641990.03658
1641980.03418
1641960.00843
1641950.00802
1641970.00692

Top tissues by expression

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

TissueAnatomy IDExpression scoreQuality
right testisUBERON:000453499.68gold quality
left testisUBERON:000453399.41gold quality
testisUBERON:000047398.81gold quality
mucosa of transverse colonUBERON:000499193.80gold quality
transverse colonUBERON:000115785.93gold quality
duodenumUBERON:000211485.90gold quality
primordial germ cell in gonadCL:0000670 ∩ UBERON:000099184.09gold quality
medulla oblongataUBERON:000189683.99gold quality
small intestineUBERON:000210880.29gold quality
small intestine Peyer’s patchUBERON:000345480.10gold quality
lower esophagus mucosaUBERON:003583479.95gold quality
intestineUBERON:000016077.60gold quality
colonUBERON:000115577.43gold quality
male germ line stem cell (sensu Vertebrata) in testisCL:0000089 ∩ UBERON:000047377.18gold quality
rectumUBERON:000105277.09gold quality
skeletal muscle tissueUBERON:000113476.45gold quality
hindlimb stylopod muscleUBERON:000425276.02gold quality
saliva-secreting glandUBERON:000104475.74gold quality
lower esophagusUBERON:001347375.19gold quality
lower esophagus muscularis layerUBERON:003583375.18gold quality
minor salivary glandUBERON:000183074.84gold quality
gastrocnemiusUBERON:000138874.74gold quality
muscle tissueUBERON:000238574.56gold quality
thoracic mammary glandUBERON:000520074.23gold quality
esophagogastric junction muscularis propriaUBERON:003584173.82gold quality
subcutaneous adipose tissueUBERON:000219073.81gold quality
muscle of legUBERON:000138373.76gold quality
left uterine tubeUBERON:000130373.51gold quality
esophagusUBERON:000104373.14gold quality
adipose tissueUBERON:000101372.89gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 1 experiment(s), a significant marker in 0.

ExperimentMarker?Max mean expression
E-ANND-3no2.07

Regulation

Is transcription factor: yes

Downstream targets (CollecTRI)

1 targets.

TargetRegulation
PRM1

Upstream regulators (CollecTRI, top): MYC, MYCN

miRNA regulators (miRDB)

73 targeting YBX2, top 30 by miRDB confidence (max_score; target_count = how many genes the miRNA targets in total — lower means more specific):

miRNAMax scoreAvg scoremiRNA target_count
HSA-MIR-4510100.0066.602050
HSA-MIR-6127100.0066.762188
HSA-MIR-6129100.0066.462080
HSA-MIR-6130100.0066.692012
HSA-MIR-6133100.0066.482064
HSA-MIR-6870-5P99.9968.552115
HSA-MIR-314899.9775.066478
HSA-MIR-4723-5P99.9768.702034
HSA-MIR-569899.9768.492029
HSA-MIR-7111-5P99.9768.482062
HSA-MIR-6825-5P99.9669.813431
HSA-MIR-570-3P99.9672.414910
HSA-MIR-448799.9664.581252
HSA-MIR-548E-5P99.8972.734486
HSA-MIR-612499.8769.783551
HSA-MIR-797899.8666.90856
HSA-MIR-4728-5P99.8569.394718
HSA-MIR-6785-5P99.8268.684428
HSA-MIR-6739-5P99.8067.872806
HSA-MIR-205299.7969.372031
HSA-MIR-6794-5P99.7666.381048
HSA-MIR-3934-3P99.7665.511351
HSA-MIR-6733-5P99.7467.942759
HSA-MIR-149-3P99.7268.223963
HSA-MIR-120099.7170.421838
HSA-MIR-6883-5P99.6968.053785
HSA-MIR-7154-5P99.6970.521900
HSA-MIR-4716-3P99.6966.731022
HSA-MIR-1249-5P99.6166.552049
HSA-MIR-6797-5P99.6166.552084

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 11)

  • provides first evidence showing dbpC highly expressed in human testicular seminoma and ovarian dysgerminomas, and in carcinomas in other tissues and that its expression in normal tissues is nearly restricted to germ cells and placental trophoblasts (PMID:16479255)
  • transcriptional regulation of Contrin was investigated, and the promoter region between -272 and -253 relative to the transcription start site was shown to be critical for the manifestation of cell-type specific transcription (PMID:16624424)
  • A significant association between gene alterations in the YBX2 gene and abnormal spermatogenesis in humans, including a potential role in altering protamine expression, and implicate YBX2 gene alterations as a potential cause of male factor infertility. (PMID:18339382)
  • some polymorphisms of the MSY2 gene might be associated with impaired spermatogenesis and that the gene could also be involved in modifying the susceptibility to idiopathic spermatogenic impairment in humans (PMID:18372033)
  • YBX2 has the important role of coordinating the storage of translationally repressed mRNAs in round spermatids by inhibiting translational activity and the degradation of transcripts via translation-dependent deadenylation. (PMID:26773323)
  • Sequencing results showed that among the studied polymorphisms, frequency of TT genotype in rs222859 polymorphism was significantly higher in azoospermic patients compared to control group (P < 0.001). (PMID:26804374)
  • LncRNA HOXA11-AS promotes OSCC progression by sponging miR-98-5p to upregulate YBX2 expression. (PMID:31731187)
  • YBX2 and cancer testis antigen 45 contribute to stemness, chemoresistance and a high degree of malignancy in human endometrial cancer. (PMID:33602962)
  • Circular CDC like kinase 1 suppresses cell apoptosis through miR-18b-5p/Y-box protein 2 axis in oral squamous cell carcinoma. (PMID:35156507)
  • NSD2 activates the E2F transcription factor 1/Y-box binding protein 2 axis to promote the malignant development of oral squamous cell carcinoma. (PMID:35364436)
  • YBX2 modulates mRNA stability via interaction with YTHDF2 in endometrial cancer cells. (PMID:37030331)

Cross-species orthologs

6 orthologs

OrganismSymbolGene ID
mus_musculusYbx2ENSMUSG00000018554
rattus_norvegicusYbx2ENSRNOG00000017117
drosophila_melanogasterypsFBGN0022959
caenorhabditis_eleganscey-2WBGENE00000473
caenorhabditis_eleganscey-3WBGENE00000474
caenorhabditis_elegansWBGENE00000475

Paralogs (4): YBX3 (ENSG00000060138), YBX1 (ENSG00000065978), LIN28A (ENSG00000131914), LIN28B (ENSG00000187772)

Protein

Protein identifiers

Y-box-binding protein 2Q9Y2T7 (reviewed: Q9Y2T7)

Alternative names: Contrin, DNA-binding protein C, Germ cell-specific Y-box-binding protein, MSY2 homolog

All UniProt accessions (3): Q9Y2T7, A0A384MDP4, I3L2D6

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Function. Major constituent of messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs). Involved in the regulation of the stability and/or translation of germ cell mRNAs. Binds to Y-box consensus promoter element. Binds to full-length mRNA with high affinity in a sequence-independent manner. Binds to short RNA sequences containing the consensus site 5’-UCCAUCA-3’ with low affinity and limited sequence specificity. Its binding with maternal mRNAs is necessary for its cytoplasmic retention. May mark specific mRNAs (those transcribed from Y-box promoters) in the nucleus for cytoplasmic storage, thereby linking transcription and mRNA storage/translational delay.

Subunit / interactions. Found in a mRNP complex with PABPC1 and YBX3. Found in a mRNP complex with ZAR1 and ZAR1L.

Subcellular location. Cytoplasm. Nucleus.

Tissue specificity. Expressed in oocytes and testicular germ cells in the stage of spermatogonia to spermatocyte. Also observed placental trophoblasts, as well as in vascular smooth muscle cells in the pulmonary artery, myocardium, and skeletal muscle. Undetectable in epithelial cells in respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital tracts. Up-regulated in various carcinomas and germ cell tumors (at protein level).

Post-translational modifications. Phosphorylated during oocyte maturation and dephosphorylated following egg activation. Phosphorylated in vitro by a kinase activity associated with testicular mRNPs. Dephosphorylation leads to a decrease in its affinity to bind RNA in vitro.

RefSeq proteins (1): NP_057066* (*=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

IDNameType
IPR002059CSP_DNA-bdDomain
IPR011129CSDDomain
IPR012340NA-bd_OB-foldHomologous_superfamily
IPR019844CSD_CSConserved_site
IPR050181Cold_shock_domainFamily

Pfam: PF00313

UniProt features (31 total): compositionally biased region 10, strand 7, region of interest 4, modified residue 2, sequence variant 2, turn 2, helix 2, chain 1, domain 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

4 structures.

PDBMethodResolution (Å)
7F3KX-RAY DIFFRACTION1.76
7F3LX-RAY DIFFRACTION1.88
7F3JX-RAY DIFFRACTION1.95
7F3IX-RAY DIFFRACTION2.25

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

ModelpLDDTFraction very-high
AF-Q9Y2T7-F162.230.21

Functional residue map

Curated UniProt residues grouped by drug-discovery relevance — catalytic, ligand-binding, modification, and mutation-validated positions. Source: UniProtKB sequence features.

Post-translational modifications (2): 65, 76

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

0 pathways

MSigDB gene sets: 128 (showing top): E2F_Q4, E2F_Q4_01, E2F4DP1_01, CMYB_01, AAGCCAT_MIR135A_MIR135B, GOBP_OOGENESIS, TGACCTY_ERR1_Q2, GOBP_MALE_GAMETE_GENERATION, GGGTGGRR_PAX4_03, CAGCTG_AP4_Q5, GOBP_TRANSLATION, GOBP_POST_TRANSCRIPTIONAL_REGULATION_OF_GENE_EXPRESSION, E2F1DP1_01, E2F1DP2_01, AML_Q6

GO Biological Process (6): transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0006366), spermatogenesis (GO:0007283), translational attenuation (GO:0009386), regulation of gene expression (GO:0010468), oocyte development (GO:0048599), positive regulation of cold-induced thermogenesis (GO:0120162)

GO Molecular Function (3): nucleic acid binding (GO:0003676), DNA binding (GO:0003677), RNA binding (GO:0003723)

GO Cellular Component (2): nucleus (GO:0005634), cytoplasm (GO:0005737)

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

CategoryTerms
nucleic acid binding2
DNA-templated transcription1
developmental process involved in reproduction1
male gamete generation1
regulation of translation1
gene expression1
regulation of macromolecule biosynthetic process1
germ cell development1
oocyte differentiation1
positive regulation of multicellular organismal process1
cold-induced thermogenesis1
regulation of cold-induced thermogenesis1
binding1
intracellular membrane-bounded organelle1
intracellular anatomical structure1
cellular anatomical structure1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

1882 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein AProtein BPartner UniProtScore
YBX2SOHLH1Q5JUK2897
YBX2NOBOXO60393880
YBX2FIGLAQ6QHK4865
YBX2LHX8Q68G74845
YBX2CPEB1Q9BZB8606
YBX2CSNK2A1P19138548
YBX2SYCP3Q8IZU3530
YBX2DAZLQ92904527
YBX2SYMPKQ92797514
YBX2DDX4Q9NQI0493
YBX2CSNK2A2P19784491
YBX2DICER1Q9UPY3485
YBX2PRM2P04554479
YBX2GDF9O60383476
YBX2TARBP2Q15633474

IntAct

74 interactions, top by confidence:

ABTypeScore
YBX1HNRNPRpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.770
H2AXPPM1Gpsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.730
CFTRESYT2psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.710
H1-1RRP8psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.640
H1-6ZNF724psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
H1-4IGF2BP3psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
RPS2MPHOSPH10psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
ZCRB1DKC1psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
MRPL2GTPBP10psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
RPS3ZNF316psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
CD226MEN1psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
ELAVL2IGF2BP3psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
PPANPPM1Gpsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
H2AC20PPM1Gpsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
H1-4RRP8psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
NIFKRSL1D1psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
ABT1ZNF316psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
HIF1ANARID1Apsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
NEK4E2F8psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
MAPTPOTEFpsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
ELAVL2IGF2BP3psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
PPANIGF2BP3psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
PRDM5CASC3psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350
NIFKRRP8psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.350

BioGRID (311): YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS), YBX2 (Affinity Capture-MS)

ESM2 similar proteins: A1L1K8, B5DE31, D5MCN2, O94432, O95817, P14199, P16989, P21573, P21574, P25567, P41073, P41824, P45441, P45978, P46553, P62960, P62961, P67808, P67809, Q00436, Q06066, Q09801, Q10193, Q10422, Q10475, Q21351, Q24629, Q28618, Q3TLH4, Q57UZ7, Q5JVS0, Q5UR41, Q5XJD3, Q62764, Q69Z08, Q6CVS3, Q6NRY1, Q6NYG6, Q6PB22, Q75A59

Diamond homologs: B5DE31, E0J1Q3, E0J500, E1WGN1, O30875, O54310, O65639, O67327, P0A355, P0A356, P0A357, P0A358, P0A361, P0A362, P0A363, P0A972, P0A973, P0A974, P0A975, P0A978, P0A979, P0A980, P0A981, P0A986, P0A987, P0A9X9, P0A9Y0, P0A9Y1, P0A9Y2, P0A9Y3, P0A9Y4, P0A9Y5, P0A9Y6, P0A9Y7, P0A9Y8, P0A9Y9, P0A9Z0, P0C0F1, P0CL01, P0DA48

SIGNOR signaling

2 interactions.

AEffectBMechanism
AMPK“up-regulates quantity by stabilization”YBX2phosphorylation
AKT2“up-regulates quantity by stabilization”YBX2phosphorylation

Enriched among interaction partners

Reactome pathways and GO biological processes over-represented among this gene’s 82 IntAct physical interaction partners (hypergeometric vs the genome-wide background, BH-FDR, gene-set size 15–500, ranked by fold). A functional readout of the neighbourhood — distinct from this gene’s own memberships above, and biased toward well-studied / hub proteins, so read it as themes rather than proof.

Reactome pathways:

PathwayPartnersFoldFDR
Nonsense-Mediated Decay (NMD)521.2×4e-05
SARS-CoV-2 modulates host translation machinery520.4×5e-05
RNA Polymerase II Transcription Termination520.0×5e-05
rRNA processing718.6×1e-06
Peptide chain elongation818.5×5e-07
Viral mRNA Translation818.5×5e-07
PELO:HBS1L and ABCE1 dissociate a ribosome on a non-stop mRNA818.2×5e-07
rRNA processing in the nucleus and cytosol617.6×1e-05

GO biological processes:

GO termPartnersFoldFDR
negative regulation of DNA recombination686.4×1e-08
chromosome condensation664.8×5e-08
cytoplasmic translation819.0×1e-06
rRNA processing610.9×1e-03
nucleosome assembly610.8×1e-03
translation810.5×8e-05
RNA splicing66.8×8e-03

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

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

ClassificationCount (floor)
Pathogenic0
Likely pathogenic0
Uncertain significance44
Likely benign3
Benign0

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (0)

SpliceAI

1648 predictions. Top by Δscore:

VariantEffectΔscore
17:7288839:C:CCacceptor_gain1.0000
17:7289722:AGGC:Aacceptor_gain1.0000
17:7289723:GGC:Gacceptor_gain1.0000
17:7289726:C:CCacceptor_gain1.0000
17:7290070:CC:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
17:7290071:CC:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
17:7290071:CCTG:Cacceptor_loss1.0000
17:7290072:CTGG:Cacceptor_loss1.0000
17:7290073:T:Cacceptor_loss1.0000
17:7291099:T:Adonor_gain1.0000
17:7291103:T:TAdonor_gain1.0000
17:7288834:GAGGT:Gacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7288838:TC:Tacceptor_loss0.9900
17:7288839:CTAAA:Cacceptor_loss0.9900
17:7288840:T:Cacceptor_loss0.9900
17:7289524:CCTCA:Cdonor_loss0.9900
17:7289525:CTCA:Cdonor_loss0.9900
17:7289526:TCA:Tdonor_loss0.9900
17:7289527:CA:Cdonor_loss0.9900
17:7289529:C:Tdonor_loss0.9900
17:7289721:AAGGC:Aacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7289724:GC:Gacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7289725:CC:Cacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7290067:GTGCC:Gacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7290068:TGCC:Tacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7290069:GCC:Gacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7290070:CCC:Cacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7290534:CC:Cacceptor_gain0.9900
17:7290534:CCCTG:Cacceptor_loss0.9900
17:7290535:CC:Cacceptor_gain0.9900

AlphaMissense

2289 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

VariantProtein changeam_pathogenicity
17:7291114:A:CF146L1.000
17:7291114:A:TF146L1.000
17:7291115:A:GF146S1.000
17:7291116:A:GF146L1.000
17:7292035:A:CF120L1.000
17:7292035:A:TF120L1.000
17:7292036:A:CF120C1.000
17:7292037:A:GF120L1.000
17:7293483:G:CF109L1.000
17:7293483:G:TF109L1.000
17:7293484:A:CF109C1.000
17:7293484:A:GF109S1.000
17:7293485:A:GF109L1.000
17:7293507:G:CF101L1.000
17:7293507:G:TF101L1.000
17:7293509:A:GF101L1.000
17:7293510:C:AW100C1.000
17:7293510:C:GW100C1.000
17:7293512:A:GW100R1.000
17:7293512:A:TW100R1.000
17:7291115:A:CF146C0.999
17:7291116:A:TF146I0.999
17:7292036:A:GF120S0.999
17:7292042:T:AD118V0.999
17:7292042:T:CD118G0.999
17:7292042:T:GD118A0.999
17:7292043:C:GD118H0.999
17:7292059:C:AR112S0.999
17:7292059:C:GR112S0.999
17:7293475:C:AR112M0.999

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1000835919 (17:7294747 G>T), RS1001013141 (17:7288156 G>A), RS1001076182 (17:7292105 C>T), RS1001130264 (17:7291782 G>A,C), RS1001289118 (17:7294579 G>T), RS1001450165 (17:7294995 ATCTGCAGCCTCGGT>A), RS1001655463 (17:7288684 G>A,T), RS1001748396 (17:7295082 C>T), RS1001802105 (17:7294898 C>T), RS1002083719 (17:7293461 G>A), RS1002135976 (17:7293128 G>A,C), RS1002238716 (17:7293175 G>A), RS1002807203 (17:7296523 C>T), RS1003912143 (17:7290030 C>T), RS1004999028 (17:7291417 G>A,C)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:611447 | disease phenotypes:

GenCC curated gene-disease

Mondo (0):

Orphanet (0):

HPO phenotypes

0 total (0 of 0 shown, HPO-id order):

GWAS associations

0 associations (top):

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: no

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

CTD chemical–gene interactions

21 total (human), top 21 by PubMed support.

ChemicalActions (top 5)PubMed papers
Arsenicincreases methylation, increases abundance, increases expression2
Nickeldecreases expression2
aristolochic acid Idecreases expression1
dicrotophosincreases expression1
ethyl-p-hydroxybenzoatedecreases expression1
beta-lapachonedecreases expression1
sodium arseniteincreases abundance, increases expression1
butyraldehydeincreases expression1
cyclic 3’,5’-uridine monophosphateaffects binding1
pentanalincreases expression1
abrinedecreases expression1
Sunitinibdecreases expression1
Fulvestrantdecreases methylation1
Benzo(a)pyreneaffects methylation1
Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylenedecreases expression1
Ribonucleotidesaffects binding1
Silicon Dioxidedecreases expression1
Smokeincreases expression1
Tobacco Smoke Pollutiondecreases expression1
Valproic Acidincreases expression1
Aflatoxin B1decreases methylation1

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

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

No linked Atlas pages yet — the cross-entity mesh grows as the corpus expands.