DCX : doublecortin

Description

The DCX (doublecortin) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome X.

The DCX gene provides instructions for creating the doublecortin protein, which is crucial for the movement of nerve cells (neurons) to their correct positions in the developing brain, a process called neuronal migration. Doublecortin binds to microtubules, rigid, hollow fibers that form the cell's structural framework (the cytoskeleton). This binding stabilizes microtubules. Microtubules help propel neurons by creating scaffolding within the cell that extends in a specific direction, altering the cytoskeleton and moving the neuron.

DCX is a microtubule-associated protein essential for the initial stages of neuronal dispersal and the layering of the cerebral cortex during brain development. It may function by outcompeting the neuronal kinase DCLK1 for binding to a target protein, potentially participating in a signaling pathway crucial for neuronal interactions before and during migration. This pathway may be calcium ion-dependent. Additionally, DCX may cooperate with PAFAH1B1/LIS-1 in distinct but overlapping signaling pathways promoting neuronal migration.

DCX is also known as DBCN, DC, LISX, SCLH, XLIS.

Associated Diseases

WES Whole Exome Sequencing

Clinical Exome Sequencing