Gfi-1 attaches to the nuclear matrix, associates with ETO (MTG8) and histone deacetylase proteins, and represses transcription using a TSA-sensitive mechanism.

Gfi-1 and Gfi-1B can repress transcription and play important roles in hematopoietic cell survival and differentiation. Although these proteins are known to bind DNA through a C-terminal zinc-finger domain and may require an N-terminal SNAG domain (SNAIL/Gfi-1) to repress transcription, the mechanism by which Gfi-1 and Gfi-1B act is unknown. A first step towards understanding the mechanism by which these proteins repress transcription is to identify interacting proteins that could contribute to transcriptional repression.