Start- 21,439,648 base pairs from p arm terminus; End- 21,442,699 base pairs from p arm terminus; Size- 3,051 bases; Orientation- minus strand

273 amino acids; 30133 Da. NKX2-2 is a member of the NK2 family of homeobox transcription factors. It has known roles in the development of the CNS as well as pancreatic beta cell differentiation. In the CNS NKX2-2 is known to be activated by SHH signaling which is important for its initial role in ventral patterning. NKX2-2 expression has additionally been shown to be critical for the differentiation of oligodendrocytes, and in fact necessary for this process to occur. In both instances, NKX2-2 mediated transcripitional repression is both necessary and sufficient for these processes to occur. Regulation of NKX2-2 expression in the pancreas is less well understood. NKX2-2 knock-out mice die soon after birth from diabetic complications as a result of a lack of fully differentiated pancreatic beta cells. While NKX2-2 mediated transcriptional repression has been demonstrated to be necessary and sufficient for its role in ß-cell differentiation, it remains unclear whether NKX2-2 mediated transcriptional activation is important for NKX2-2 function in adult ß-cells.

V3 neural progenitors; oligodendrocyte precursor cells; precursor and adult pancreatic beta cells.

Nuclear

NKX2-2 is a transcription factor

NKX2-2 shares homology with other members of the NK2 family of transcription factors most notably in the TN transcriptional repression, DNA binding homeodomain, and specific domain regions.