Hairy And Enhancer Of Split 6 (HES6)

HES6 encodes a member of a subfamily of basic helix-loop-helix transcription repressors that have homology to the Drosophila enhancer of split genes. The protein encoded by this gene functions as a cofactor, interacting with other transcription factors through a tetrapeptide domain in its C-terminus. The mouse and human proteins contain 224 amino acids and have an N-terminal basic helix-loop-helix domain, a central orange domain, and a C-terminal proline-rich region. This structure is generally conserved in HES family proteins; however, the loop region of HES6 is shorter than that of other HES proteins. In mouse embryos, expression was first detected at embryonic day 10.5, and Hes6 was highly expressed in all later developmental stages tested.