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, respo ...

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 ba ...

. It is a member of the

Sox Sox most often refers to: * Boston Red Sox, an MLB team * Chicago White Sox, an MLB team * An alternate spelling of socks Sox may also refer to: Places * SOX, Sogamoso Airport's IATA airport code, an airport in Colombia Computing and technolo ...

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 ...

Function

In the chick embryo, Sox21 promotes

neuron A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. N ...

al cellular differentiation 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 trans ...

, 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 factors involved in the regulation of embryonic brain development and in de ...

, 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. *

Function

See also

References

Further reading