| Modification Notes |
GCM1 (glial cells missing homolog 1), also known as GCMA or hGCMa, is a 436 amino acid human homolog of the Drosophila glial cells missing protein (gcm). Localized to the nucleus and expressed specifically in placenta, GCM1 functions as a transcription factor that binds the novel sequence (A/G)CCCGCAT and, through this binding, regulates placental development. Additionally, GCM1 is thought to regulate syncytin SU-mediated trophoblastic fusion, an event that produces syncytiotrophoblast structures which, in turn, function as the outermost covering of the placental villi. GCM1 contains one N-terminal GCM (glial cell missing) DNA-binding domain, a conserved 150 amino acid residue that conveys DNA-binding activity for a variety of transcription factors involved in developmental processes. |