LIM Homeobox Protein 9 (LHX9)

LHX9 encodes a member of the LIM homeobox gene family of developmentally expressed transcription factors. The protein contains a homeodomain and two cysteine-rich zinc-binding LIM domains involved in protein-protein interactions. The protein is highly similar to a mouse protein that causes gonadal agenesis when inactivated, suggesting a role in gonadal development. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. Lhx9 expression in the nervous system from E10.5 onward. In the CNS, expression was found in the developing forebrain and cerebral cortex of mouse embryos. Postnatally, Lhx9 expression was maintained in the hippocampal formation and cerebellum. Lhx9 may be involved in the specification or function of the pioneer neurons of the cerebral cortex.