BarH Like Homeobox Protein 1 (BARHL1)

This partial BARHL1 sequence and the corresponding mouse sequence share 99% amino acid identity. The mouse Barhl1 gene is more highly homologous to Drosophila BARH1 than is the murine Barx1 gene. In situ hybridization to mouse tissues at several developmental stages revealed that Barhl1 is exclusively expressed in restricted domains of the developing central nervous system, in particular the diencephalon and rhombencephalon, where it is expressed in migrating cells giving rise to the cerebellar external granular layer and to specific populations of dorsal sensory interneurons of the spinal cord. The authors hypothesized that Barhl1 function may be required for the generation of these specific subtypes of neuronal progenitors.