Pathway candidateNCBI-verifiedprotein-coding

PHF2

PHD finger protein 2

NCBI Gene: 5253 Ensembl GeneCards UniProt: O75151

Pathway candidate — not linked to PFS or PSSD by any record here

PHF2 is in the library because it belongs to the epigenetic regulation family. No study, report or commentary in the corpus names it, so a variant in PHF2 is not, by itself, evidence of anything related to post-drug syndromes.

Gene summary

A protein-coding gene on chromosome 9 (epigenetic regulation). Encodes a protein which contains a zinc finger-like PHD (plant homeodomain) finger, distinct from other classes of zinc finger motifs, and a hydrophobic and highly conserved domain. The PHD finger shows the typical Cys4-His-Cys3 arrangement.

Source: NCBI Gene, accessed 2026-10-07.

Protein reference (UniProt)

Protein: Lysine-specific demethylase PHF2
Function: Lysine demethylase that demethylates both histones and non-histone proteins. Enzymatically inactive by itself, and becomes active following phosphorylation by PKA: forms a complex with ARID5B and mediates demethylation of methylated ARID5B. Demethylation of ARID5B leads to target the PHF2-ARID5B complex to target promoters, where PHF2 mediates demethylation of dimethylated 'Lys-9' of histone H3 (H3K9me2), followed by transcription activation of target genes. The PHF2-ARID5B complex acts as a coactivator of HNF4A in liver. PHF2 is recruited to trimethylated 'Lys-4' of histone H3 (H3K4me3) at rDNA promoters and promotes expression of rDNA. Involved in the activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-target inflammatory genes in macrophages by catalyzing the demethylation of trimethylated histone H4 lysine 20 (H4K20me3) at the gene promoters (By similarity).
Subcellular location: Nucleus, nucleolus; Chromosome, centromere, kinetochore.
Tissue specificity: Widely expressed, including in liver (at protein level).

Source: UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot O75151, release 2026_03, licensed CC BY 4.0. This is the protein’s normal biology, not evidence about post-drug syndromes; associated conditions are inherited disorders of the gene, not PFS, PSSD or PRSD.

Why its pathway is in the library

Epigenetic persistence is the leading hypothesis for why post-drug syndromes endure after the drug is gone; chromatin regulators are therefore priority candidates in any persistence mechanism.

Written for the whole epigenetic regulation family, not for PHF2 specifically.

Mentioned in 0 corpus records

No corpus record names PHF2 directly yet. It is in the library because it sits in a pathway the corpus tracks (Epigenetic regulation).

Also in epigenetic regulation

All 130 genes

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Gene summary

Source: NCBI Gene, accessed 2026-10-07.

Protein reference (UniProt)

Protein: Lysine-specific demethylase PHF2
Function: Lysine demethylase that demethylates both histones and non-histone proteins. Enzymatically inactive by itself, and becomes active following phosphorylation by PKA: forms a complex with ARID5B and mediates demethylation of methylated ARID5B. Demethylation of ARID5B leads to target the PHF2-ARID5B complex to target promoters, where PHF2 mediates demethylation of dimethylated 'Lys-9' of histone H3 (H3K9me2), followed by transcription activation of target genes. The PHF2-ARID5B complex acts as a coactivator of HNF4A in liver. PHF2 is recruited to trimethylated 'Lys-4' of histone H3 (H3K4me3) at rDNA promoters and promotes expression of rDNA. Involved in the activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-target inflammatory genes in macrophages by catalyzing the demethylation of trimethylated histone H4 lysine 20 (H4K20me3) at the gene promoters (By similarity).
Subcellular location: Nucleus, nucleolus; Chromosome, centromere, kinetochore.
Tissue specificity: Widely expressed, including in liver (at protein level).