title: SALL4: engine of cell stemness.
abstract: The spalt (sal) family is a class of evolutionarily conserved genes originally identified in Drosophila as homeotic genes required for embryonic development. In vertebrates, the expression of sal-like 4 (SALL4) is specifically enriched in both embryonic and adult stem/stem-like cells. SALL4 is a master regulator that contributes to cell stemness in biological development and tumor growth. Thus, Sall4 has emerged as a target for gene therapy. In addition, numerous mutations affecting the Sall4 gene have been discovered and clinically linked to a series of congenital abnormalities, such as Duane/Duane-related syndromes, ventricular septal defect and premature ovarian failure. This review delineates the underlying mechanisms of key functions of SALL4 and its use as a target for gene therapy. Finally, I summarize and discuss advances made on the application of Sall4 and its functions in diagnostics and treatments for human diseases.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. jianhua.xiong@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiong
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C472575:SALL4 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors