NEUROG3
Description
The NEUROG3 (neurogenin 3) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 10.
Neurogenin-3 (NGN3) is a protein encoded by the Neurog3 gene in humans. It acts as a pro-endocrine transcription factor belonging to the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family, primarily responsible for activating gene transcription in endocrine progenitor cells. NGN3 is a master regulator of pancreatic islet differentiation and regeneration, directly enhancing the expression of lineage-committed transcription factors necessary for differentiating endocrine progenitor cells into various endocrine cell subtypes. NGN3 is expressed in a small subset of endocrine progenitor cells within the developing pancreas, spanning three stages of endocrine pancreas development and differentiation: the first or primary transition stage involves the specification and growth of a primitive stalk of undifferentiated pancreatic epithelial cells originating from two sites along the gut tube, which later fuse into a single organ; the second transition stage marks the period of extensive endocrine cell differentiation where the uncommitted pancreatic progenitors undergo branching morphogenesis and extensive endocrine and exocrine cytodifferentiation; the third transition stage involves the migration of individual differentiated endocrine cells (α,β,δ and PP cells) from the progenitor cell domain at the core of the developing pancreas and their coalescence into islets of Langerhans. The importance of NGN3 in endocrine cell development is underscored by the fact that Neurog3 deficiency prevents the formation of all pancreatic and intestinal endocrine cells. Conversely, ectopic overexpression of Neurog3 also leads to reduced endocrine mass, but through a distinct mechanism compared to Neurog3 deficiency.
NEUROG3 is also known as Atoh5, Math4B, NGN-3, bHLHa7, ngn3.
