NKX3-2
Encyclopedia
NK3 homeobox 2 also known as NKX3-2 is a human 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...

. It is a homolog of bagpipe(bap) in Drosophila and therefore also known as Bapx1 (bagpipe homeobox homolog 1) . The 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...

 encoded by this gene is a homeo domain
Homeodomain fold
The homeodomain fold is a protein structural domain that binds DNA or RNA and is thus commonly found in transcription factors. The fold consists of a 60-amino acid helix-turn-helix structure in which three alpha helices are connected by short loop regions...

 containing 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...

.

Function

NKX3-2 plays a role in the development
Developmental biology
Developmental biology is the study of the process by which organisms grow and develop. Modern developmental biology studies the genetic control of cell growth, differentiation and "morphogenesis", which is the process that gives rise to tissues, organs and anatomy.- Related fields of study...

 of the skeleton. Nkx3-2 in mice also regulates patterning
Pattern formation
The science of pattern formation deals with the visible, orderly outcomes of self-organisation and the common principles behind similar patterns....

in the middle ear.
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