Background information
Neural crest cell migration to the third and fourth pharyngeal pouches is a critical step in the structural formation of organs that are affected in DiGeorge syndrome. DGCR6 (DiGeorge syndrome critical region 6) is a nuclear protein that plays a role in neural crest cell migration and is located at the DiGeorge syndrome critical region (DGCR) on chromosome 22. Expressed ubiquitously with highest levels in heart, liver and skeletal muscle, DGCR6 shares high homology with the Drosophila gonadal (gdl) protein and with human Laminin ?1, both of which are involved in early tissue development. The gene encoding DGCR6, along with other DGCR genes, is deleted in DiGeorge syndrome; a developmental disorder characterized by improper facial, cardiac and palate formation. Upregulation of DGCR6 is implicated in lung and colon adenocarcinomas, as well as in Burkitt抯 lymphoma and lymphocytes transformed by EBV. Due to a duplication of the ancestral DGCR6 locus, there are two functional, highly homologous copies of the DGCR6 gene (designated DGCR6 and DGCR6L) on chromosome 22.
