LIM homeobox transcription factor 1, alpha, also known as LMX1A, is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 which in humans is encoded by the LMX1A gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

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Function

Insulin

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....

 is produced exclusively by the beta cell

Beta cell

Beta cells are a type of cell in the pancreas located in the so-called islets of Langerhans. They make up 65-80% of the cells in the islets.-Function:...

s in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The level and beta-cell specificity of insulin gene expression are regulated by a set of nuclear genes that bind to specific sequences within the promoter of the insulin gene INS and interact with RNA polymerase to activate or repress transcription. LMX1 is a LIM

LIM domain

LIM domains are protein structural domains, composed of two contiguous zinc finger domains, separated by a two-amino acid residue hydrophobic linker. They are named after their initial discovery in the proteins Lin11, Isl-1 & Mec-3. LIM-domain containing proteins have been shown to play roles in...

 homeobox

Homeobox

A homeobox is a DNA sequence found within genes that are involved in the regulation of patterns of anatomical development in animals, fungi and plants.- Discovery :...

 transcription factor

Transcription factor

In molecular biology and genetics, a transcription factor is a protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, thereby controlling the flow of genetic information from DNA to mRNA...

 that binds an A/T-rich sequence in the insulin promoter and stimulates transcription of insulin.

Interactions

LMX1A has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with TCF3

TCF3

Transcription factor 3 , also known as TCF3, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TCF3 gene...

 and LHX3

LHX3

LIM/homeobox protein Lhx3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LHX3 gene.- Function :LHX3 encodes a protein of a large protein family, members of which carry the LIM domain, a unique cysteine-rich zinc-binding domain. The encoded protein is a transcription factor that is required for...

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Further reading