HMGA1 (D4F8) Rabbit mAb #12094

HMGA1, formerly known as HMG-I/Y, belongs to a family of high mobility group proteins that contain an AT-hook DNA binding domain. HMGA proteins are considered architectural transcription factors; they do not have direct transcriptional activation capacity, but instead regulate gene expression by changing DNA conformation through binding to AT-rich regions in the DNA and/or direct interaction with other transcription factors (1,2). HMGA1 is highly expressed during embryogenesis and in embryonic stem cells, but not in fully differentiated adult tissues (2-4). Research studies have shown that HMGA1 is over-expressed in rapidly dividing neoplastic cells and a wide variety of aggressive cancers, including thyroid, colon, breast, pancreas, and prostate (2-4). Investigators have shown that forced expression of HMGA1 induces cellular transformation and an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), while inhibition of HMGA1 expression blocks anchorage-independent cell growth and proliferation of cancer cells, suggesting that HMGA1 contributes to carcinogenesis by inducing and maintaining a de-differentiated, highly proliferative cell state (5-8).