| Modification Notes |
Members of the Nkx family of homeodomain proteins are key regulators of growth and development in several tissues, including brain, heart and pancreas. The Nkx-6 family is involved in the patterning of the pancreas and central nervous system and consists of three proteins: Nkx-6.1, Nkx-6.2 and Nkx-6.3. Nkx-6.1 is responsible for cellular differentiation in the ventral neural tube and spinal meninges in response to Shh. Nkx-6.2 is also expressed during neural tube development by neural progenitor cells. During development, Nkx-6.2 regulates interneuron fates by repressing the expression of Dbx1, a class I homeodomain transcription repressor. Nkx-6.3 is a 265 amino acid homeobox protein that shows selective expression in the duodenal and glandular endoderm, in contrast to Nkx-6.1 and Nkx-6.2 that are broadly expressed in the ventral positions of the developing CNS. Nkx-6.3 is required in differentiation of gastrin-producing G-cells in the stomach and antrum. There are two isoforms of Nkx-6.3 that are produced as a result of alternative splicing events. |