Nuclear receptor TLX also known as NR2E1 (Nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group E member 1) 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...

 that in humans is encoded by the NR2E1 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...

. TLX is a member of the nuclear receptor

Nuclear receptor

In the field of molecular biology, nuclear receptors are a class of proteins found within cells that are responsible for sensing steroid and thyroid hormones and certain other molecules...

 family of intracellular

Intracellular

Not to be confused with intercellular, meaning "between cells".In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word intracellular means "inside the cell".It is used in contrast to extracellular...

 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...

s.

Function

TLX regulates the expression of another nuclear receptor, RAR

Retinoic acid receptor

The retinoic acid receptor is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by both all-trans retinoic acid and 9-cis retinoic acid. There are three retinoic acid receptors , RAR-alpha, RAR-beta, and RAR-gamma, encoded by the , , genes, respectively...

.

TLX also is essential for normal brain-eye coordination and appears to play a role in control of aggressive behavior.

Adult neural stem cells are nuclear receptor TLX-positive and TLX expression in these cells is crucial in maintaining their undifferentiated state. Furthermore TLX regulates adult neural stem cell proliferation. Removal of TLX from the adult mouse brain resulted in a reduction of stem cell proliferation and spatial learning.

Tlx-positive cells of the subventricular zone

Subventricular zone

The subventricular zone is a paired brain structure situated throughout the lateral walls of the lateral ventricles. It has been associated with having four distinct layers of variable thickness and cell density, as well as cellular composition....

 of adult mouse brain are self-renewing stem cells. Mutation of the Tlx gene in adult mouse brain leads to complete loss of neurogenesis

Neurogenesis

Neurogenesis is the process by which neurons are generated from neural stem and progenitor cells. Most active during pre-natal development, neurogenesis is responsible for populating the growing brain with neurons. Recently neurogenesis was shown to continue in several small parts of the brain of...

 in the subventricular zone. Tlx is also required for transition from radial glial cell

Radial glia

Radial glial cells are a pivotal cell type in the developing central nervous system involved in key developmental processes, from patterning and neuronal migration to their recently discovered role as precursors during neurogenesis. They arise early in development from neuroepithelial cells...

s to astrocyte

Astrocyte

Astrocytes , also known collectively as astroglia, are characteristic star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord...

-like neural stem cells.

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