Transcription factor SOX-21 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''SOX21''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
It is a member of the
Sox gene family of
transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding to a specific DNA sequence. The fu ...
s.
Function
In the chick embryo, Sox21 promotes
neuron
A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, electrically excitable cell (biology), cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous ...
al cellular
differentiation
Differentiation may refer to:
Business
* Differentiation (economics), the process of making a product different from other similar products
* Product differentiation, in marketing
* Differentiated service, a service that varies with the identity ...
by counteracting the activity of
Sox1
SOX1 is a gene that encodes a transcription factor with a HMG-box ( high mobility group) DNA-binding domain and functions primarily in neurogenesis. SOX1, SOX2 and SOX3, members of the SOX gene family (specifically the SOXB1 group), contain tr ...
,
Sox2, and
Sox3
Transcription factor SOX-3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SOX3'' gene. This gene encodes a member of the SOX (SRY-related HMG-box) family of transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequen ...
, which maintain neural cells in an undifferentiated state.
SOX21
knockout mice
A knockout mouse, or knock-out mouse, is a genetically modified mouse (''Mus musculus'') in which researchers have inactivated, or " knocked out", an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA. They are importan ...
display hair loss beginning from postnatal day 11. New hair regrowth was initiated a few days later but was followed by renewed hair loss. Sox21 is also expressed in the hair shaft cuticle in humans and consequently variants of the Sox21 gene could be responsible for some hair loss conditions in humans.
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See also
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SOX genes
''SOX'' genes ('' SRY''-related HMG-box genes) encode a family of transcription factors that bind to the minor groove in DNA, and belong to a super-family of genes characterized by a homologous sequence called the HMG-box (for high mobilit ...
References
Further reading
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Transcription factors
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