MEOX1 : mesenchyme homeobox 1
Description
The MEOX1 (mesenchyme homeobox 1) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 17.
The MEOX1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called homeobox protein MOX-1, which is a member of the homeobox protein family. Homeobox proteins direct the formation of body structures during early embryonic development. Homeobox protein MOX-1 regulates the process that begins separating vertebrae from one another, a process called somite segmentation. The protein functions as a transcription factor, which means it attaches to DNA and controls the activity (expression) of other genes. Homeobox protein MOX-1 likely controls the expression of genes that regulate somite segmentation. Homeobox protein MOX-1 also ensures that the developing vertebral bone is maintained in its correct position for proper formation. Additionally, the homeobox protein MOX-1 plays a role in the formation of the joints that connect the base of the skull and the top of spine (cranio-cervical joints).
MEOX1 is a mesodermal transcription factor that plays a key role in somitogenesis, the process that forms the vertebrae, and is specifically required for sclerotome development. The sclerotome is the part of the somite that gives rise to the vertebrae. MEOX1 is required for maintaining the polarity of the sclerotome and for the formation of the cranio-cervical joints, which connect the base of the skull to the top of the spine. MEOX1 binds to the promoters of target genes and regulates their expression. It activates the expression of NKX3-2 in the sclerotome. MEOX1 also activates the expression of CDKN1A and CDKN2A in endothelial cells, acting as a regulator of vascular cell proliferation. While MEOX1 activates CDKN1A in a DNA-dependent manner, it activates CDKN2A in a DNA-independent manner. MEOX1 is required for hematopoietic stem cell (HSCs) induction through its role in somitogenesis. The specification of HSCs occurs via the deployment of a specific endothelial precursor population that arises within a sub-compartment of the somite named endotome.
MEOX1 is also known as KFS2, MOX1.
