GSX2
{{Infobox_gene}}
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GS homeobox 2 (GSX2) is a protein encoded by a gene of the same name, located on chromosome 4 in humans,{{Cite web |title=Gene symbol report {{!}} HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee |url=https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:24959 |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.genenames.org}} and on chromosome 5 in mice.{{Cite web |title=GSX2 Gene Detail |url=https://www.informatics.jax.org/marker/MGI:95843 |access-date=23 October 2024 |website=Mouse Genome Informatics}}
It is especially important to regulating the development of the brain, particularly during embryonic development. Mutations have been linked to a variety of neurological disorders that can cause intellectual disability, dystonia (difficulty with movement) and seizures.{{Cite web |title=VCV000694062.3 - ClinVar - NCBI |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/clinvar/variation/694062/?oq=rs1578004339&m=NM_133267.3(GSX2):c.26C%3EA%20(p.Ser9Ter) |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov}}
Structure
GSX2 is a polypeptide chain consisting of 304 amino acids, with a molecular weight of 32,031.{{Cite web |title=UniProt |url=https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9BZM3/entry#sequences |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.uniprot.org}}
Function
GSX2 is a homeobox transcription factor essential for mammalian forebrain development, particularly in specifying and patterning the basal ganglia.{{cite web | vauthors = Gebelein B |title=Gsx Factors and Impacts on Development and Disease | work = Gebelein Lab |url=https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/research/divisions/d/dev-biology/labs/gebelein/gsx-factors-and-forebrain-development |publisher = Cincinnati Children's Hospital }}{{cite journal | vauthors = De Mori R, Severino M, Mancardi MM, Anello D, Tardivo S, Biagini T, Capra V, Casella A, Cereda C, Copeland BR, Gagliardi S, Gamucci A, Ginevrino M, Illi B, Lorefice E, Musaev D, Stanley V, Micalizzi A, Gleeson JG, Mazza T, Rossi A, Valente EM | title = Agenesis of the putamen and globus pallidus caused by recessive mutations in the homeobox gene GSX2 | journal = Brain | volume = 142 | issue = 10 | pages = 2965–2978 | date = October 2019 | pmid = 31412107 | pmc = 6776115 | doi = 10.1093/brain/awz247 }} It binds specific DNA sequences, crucial for dorsal-ventral patterning of the telencephalon and specifying neural progenitors in the ventral forebrain.{{cite journal | vauthors = Méndez-Gómez HR, Vicario-Abejón C | title = The homeobox gene Gsx2 regulates the self-renewal and differentiation of neural stem cells and the cell fate of postnatal progenitors | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 7 | issue = 1 | pages = e29799 | date = 2012 | pmid = 22242181 | pmc = 3252334 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0029799 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2012PLoSO...729799M }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Webb JA, Farrow E, Cain B, Yuan Z, Yarawsky AE, Schoch E, Gagliani EK, Herr AB, Gebelein B, Kovall RA| title = Cooperative Gsx2-DNA binding requires DNA bending and a novel Gsx2 homeodomain interface | journal = Nucleic Acids Research | volume = 52 | issue = 13 | pages = 7987–8002 | date = July 2024 | pmid = 38932680 | pmc = 11260444 | doi = 10.1093/nar/gkae578 }}
GSX2 acts within a temporal framework, initially guiding the specification of striatal projection neurons during early lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) neurogenesis, and later supporting olfactory bulb interneuron development.{{cite journal | vauthors = Waclaw RR, Wang B, Pei Z, Ehrman LA, Campbell K | title = Distinct temporal requirements for the homeobox gene Gsx2 in specifying striatal and olfactory bulb neuronal fates | journal = Neuron | volume = 63 | issue = 4 | pages = 451–465 | date = August 2009 | pmid = 19709628 | pmc = 2772064 | doi = 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.07.015 }} Mutations in GSX2 have been linked to basal ganglia dysgenesis in humans, resulting in severe neurological symptoms, including dystonia and intellectual impairment.
GSX2 is highly expressed in neural progenitors within the ganglionic eminences, precursors to the basal ganglia and olfactory structures. It promotes neurogenesis while inhibiting differentiation into oligodendrocytes, a type of glial cell in the central nervous system.
Clinical significance
= Neurodevelopmental disorders =
Mutations in GSX2 have been linked to severe neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by specific brain malformations. This includes cases of basal ganglia agenesis, leading to symptoms such as a slowly progressive decline in neurologic function, dystonia, and intellectual impairment.
== Diencephalic-mesencephalic junction dysplasia syndrome ==
A single nucleotide polymorphism and missense mutation in GSX2, rs1578004339, has been found to be a pathogenic cause of diencephalic-mesencephalic junction dysplasia syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by severe intellectual disability and seizures.
References
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{{Transcription factors and intracellular receptors|g3}}