title: The T-box gene family: emerging roles in development, stem cells and cancer.
abstract: The T-box family of transcription factors exhibits widespread involvement throughout development in all metazoans. T-box proteins are characterized by a DNA-binding motif known as the T-domain that binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner. In humans, mutations in many of the genes within the T-box family result in developmental syndromes, and there is increasing evidence to support a role for these factors in certain cancers. In addition, although early studies focused on the role of T-box factors in early embryogenesis, recent studies in mice have uncovered additional roles in unsuspected places, for example in adult stem cell populations. Here, I provide an overview of the key features of T-box transcription factors and highlight their roles and mechanisms of action during various stages of development and in stem/progenitor cell populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA vep1@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Virginia E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Papaioannou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D005810:Multigene Family; D009154:Mutation; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA
keywords: T-box genes; Tbx; Transcription factors