Distal Less Homeobox Protein 6 (DLX6)

DLX6 encodes a member of a homeobox transcription factor gene family similar to the Drosophila distal-less gene. This family has at least six members that encode proteins with roles in forebrain and craniofacial development. This gene is in a tail-to-tail configuration with another member of the family on the long arm of chromosome 7.

Neither DLX5 nor DLX6 are imprinted in humans and are not likely to be direct targets of MECP2 modulation. The authors found biallelic (maternal and paternal) expression of DLX5 and DLX6 in somatic human-mouse cells, adult and fetal control brain samples, and lymphoblastoid cells from patients with Rett syndrome (RTT) and unaffected controls.