Zic Family, Member 4 (ZIC4)

ZIC4 encodes a member of the ZIC family of C2H2-type zinc finger proteins. Members of this family are important during development, and have been associated with X-linked visceral heterotaxy and holoprosencephaly type 5. This gene is closely linked to the gene encoding zinc finger protein of the cerebellum 1, a related family member on chromosome 3. The deduced 353-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 38.7 kD. Northern blot analysis detected a faint Zic4 transcript only in mouse cerebellum. RNase protection assays detected strong Zic4 expression in cerebellum and weak expression in the region including diencephalon, mesencephalon, and metencephalon. Zic4 was expressed by day 12 of mouse embryonic development, and expression peaked at postnatal day 5.