biology

PHF8

PHF8 is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PHF8 rather than just read about it. In short: PHD finger protein 8 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PHF8 gene. Function PHF8 belongs to the family of ferrous iron and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent hydroxylases superfamily., and is active as a histone lysine demethylase with selectivity for the di-and monomethyl states.

Key takeaways

PHF8 belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PHF8 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PHF8 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PHD finger protein 8 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PHF8 gene.

Function PHF8 belongs to the family of ferrous iron and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent hydroxylases superfamily., and is active as a histone lysine demethylase with selectivity for the di-and monomethyl states. PHF8 induces an EMT (epithelial to mesenchymal transition)-like process by upregulating key EMT transcription factors SNAI1 and ZEB1.

Regulation during differentiation PHF8 was found to be expressional increased during endothelial differentiation and significantly decreased during cardial differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells.

Clinical significance Mutations in PHF8 cause Siderius type X-linked intellectual disability (XLMR) (OMIM: 300263). In addition to moderate intellectual disability, features of the Siderius-Hamel syndrome include facial dysmorphism, cleft lip and/or cleft palate, and in some cases microcephaly. A chromosomal microdeletion on Xp11.22 encompassing all of the PHF8 and FAM120C genes and a part of the WNK3 gene was reported in two brothers with autism spectrum disorder in addition to Siderius-type XLMR and cleft lip and palate. This catalytic activity is disrupted by clinically known mutations to PHF8, which were found to cluster in its catalytic JmjC domain. The F279S mutation of PHF8, found in 2 Finnish brothers with mild intellectual disability, facial dysmorphism and cleft lip/palate, was found to additionally prevent nuclear localisation of PHF8 overexpressed in human cells. The catalytic activity of PHF8 depends on molecular oxygen, a fact considered important with respect to reports on increased incidence of cleft lip/palate in mice that have been exposed to hypoxia during pregnancy. In humans, fetal cleft lip and other congenital abnormalities have also been linked to maternal hypoxia, as caused by e.g. maternal smoking, heavy maternal alcohol use, or maternal hypertension treatment.

References

External links PHF8+protein,+human at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PHF8

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PHF8 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PHF8 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PHF8 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PHF8

In research: PHF8 appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PHF8 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PHF8 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 1.14.11, Genes on human chromosome X, Human 2OG oxygenases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PHF8 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study PHF8 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PHF8 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PHF8 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PHF8 in simple terms?

PHD finger protein 8 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PHF8 gene. Function PHF8 belongs to the family of ferrous iron and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent hydroxylases superfamily., and is active as a histone lysine demethylase with selectivity for the di-and monomethyl states.

Why does PHF8 matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PHF8?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PHF8.