Background information
Members of the paired homeobox family play a role in regulating cell development and pattern formation during embryonic stages. UNCX (UNC homeobox), also known as UNCX4.1, is a 531 amino acid nuclear transcription factor involved in neurogenesis and somitogenesis. Containing one homeobox DNA-binding domain, UNCX belongs to the paired homeobox family and UNC4 subfamily. UNCX assists in the formation of connections between hypothalamic neurons and the pituitary, which is necessary for central neurons to deliver hormones into peripheral blood. UNCX also plays a role in maintaining differentiation of the axial skeleton and acts upstream of Pax-9. The gene encoding UNCX maps to human chromosome 7, which houses over 1,000 genes and comprises nearly 5% of the human genome. Chromosome 7 has been linked to Osteogenesis imperfecta, Pendred syndrome, Lissencephaly, Citrullinemia and Shwachman-Diamond syndrome.
