Iroquois-class homeodomain protein IRX-2, also known as Iroquois homeobox protein 2, 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, respo ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''IRX2''
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 ba ...
.
Function
IRX2 is a member of the
Iroquois homeobox gene family. Members of this family appear to play multiple roles during pattern formation of vertebrate embryos.
Cancer
IRX2 gene has been observed progressively downregulated in
Human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and res ...
-positive
neoplastic keratinocytes derived from uterine cervical
preneoplastic lesions at different levels of malignancy.
For this reason, IRX2 is likely to be associated with tumorigenesis and may be a potential prognostic marker for uterine cervical
preneoplastic lesions progression.
References
Further reading
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