SEBOX Homeobox Protein (SEBOX)

Homeodomain proteins, such as SEBOX, play a key role in coordinating gene expression during development .The predicted 221-amino acid human protein contains a central homeodomain and shares 63% amino acid identity with mouse Sebox. Compared with mouse Sebox, the human protein has substitutions at the normally invariant residues asn51 and arg53, suggesting it may be nonfunctional. Northern blot analysis detected Sebox expression in adult mouse brain, skin, ovary, and liver. Expression was low in 12-day mouse embryos and higher in 18- and 19-day embryos. In situ hybridization revealed Sebox expression in maturing mouse oocytes, eggs, zygotes, and 2-cell embryos, but not 4-cell embryos.