DLX gene family
Genes in the DLX family encode
Six members of the family are found in human and mice, numbered DLX1 to DLX6. They form two-gene clusters (bigene clusters) with each other. There are DLX1-DLX2, DLX3-DLX4, DLX5-DLX6 clusters in vertebrates, linked to Hox gene clusters HOXD, HOXB, and HOXA respectively.[4]
In higher fishes like the zebrafish, there are two additional DLX genes, dlx2b (dlx5) and dlx4a (dlx8).[5] These additional genes are not linked with each other, or any other DLX gene. All six other genes remain in bigene clusters.
DLX4, DLX7, DLX8 and DLX9 are the same gene in vertebrates.[6] They are named differently because every time the same gene was found, the researchers thought they had found a new gene.[7][8]
Function
DLX genes, like distal-less, are involved in limb development in most of the major phyla.[3]
DLX genes are involved in craniofacial morphogenesis
DLX2 has been associated with a number of areas including development of the
DLX4 (DLX7) is expressed in bone marrow.[14]
DLX5 and DLX6 genes are necessary for normal formation of the mandible in vertebrates.[15][16][17]
References
- PMID 12223397.
- PMID 8855272.
- ^ PMID 9144208.
- PMID 8855272.
- ^ "dlx AND(Danio rerio[organism])". NCBI Gene. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^ "Entrez Gene: DLX4 distal-less homeobox 4".
- PMID 8975708.
- PMID 9073066.
We originally submitted the cDNA sequence to the Genbank database as DLX8 (Accession number U31762) even though human DLX4 or DLX7 had not been identified. [...] This new Distal-less gene could not be considered the human homologue of murine Dlx4 or Dlx7 because the homeodomain sequences were too diverged.
- PMID 17551590.
- PMID 21086490.
- PMID 9334308.
- PMID 17582329.
- S2CID 883159.
- PMID 9096378.
- S2CID 19592597.
- S2CID 10274300.
- S2CID 1050844.