Empty Spiracles Homeobox Protein 2 (EMX2)

The homeodomain transcription factor EMX2 is critical for central nervous system and urogenital development. EMX1 and EMX2 are related to the 'empty spiracles' gene expressed in the developing Drosophila head.

Northern blot analysis revealed expression of a 3.0-kb transcript in brain, kidney, and uterus. Expression was more abundant in postmenopausal than in premenopausal endometrium and was lower in primary endometrioid adenocarcinomas and endometrial cancer cell lines. Following cDNA library screens, a full-length cDNA encoding EMX2 was assembled. The deduced 252-amino acid protein contains a 61-amino acid homeobox. The 153 residues N-terminal to the homeobox are conserved except for a poly(A) stretch in human.