VENT Homeobox Homolog (VENTX)

VENTX encodes a member of the Vent family of homeodomain proteins. The encoded protein may function as a transcriptional repressor and be involved in mesodermal patterning and hemopoietic stem cell maintenance. Multiple pseudogenes exist for this gene. A transcribed pseudogene located on chromosome X may lead to antigen production in certain melanomas. The full-length VENTX2 cDNA encodes a predicted 258-amino acid protein with a molecular mass of 28 kD. The protein shares 65% identity in the homeodomain with the Xenopus ventralizing protein Xvent2B, but little homology with it elsewhere.Expression was also detected in an erythroleukemia cell line, but not in several myeloid cell lines. VENTX2 in zebrafish embryos led to anterior truncations and failure to form a notochord, which are characteristics of ventralization.