T-Box Protein 6 (TBX6)

TBX6 is a member of a phylogenetically conserved family of genes that share a common DNA-binding domain, the T-box. T-box genes encode transcription factors involved in the regulation of developmental processes. Knockout studies in mice indicate that this gene is important for specification of paraxial mesoderm structures.Somites, the segmented mesodermal units of the vertebrate embryo, are the precursors of adult skeletal muscle, bone, and cartilage. During embryogenesis, somite progenitor cells ingress through the primitive streak, move laterally to a paraxial position (alongside the body axis), and segment into epithelial somites.  The embryonic pattern of expression of Tbx6 in somite precursor cells suggested that this gene may be involved in the specification of paraxial mesoderm.