Hairy/Enhancer Of Split Related With YRPW Motif Protein 1 (HEY1)

HEY1 encodes a nuclear protein belonging to the hairy and enhancer of split-related (HESR) family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-type transcriptional repressors. Expression of this gene is induced by the Notch and c-Jun signal transduction pathways. Two similar and redundant genes in mouse are required for embryonic cardiovascular development, and are also implicated in neurogenesis and somitogenesis. The murine and human HEY1 proteins have 299 and 304 amino acids, respectively, and are identical in the 55-amino acid bHLH domain and in the last 13 amino acids of the C terminus, and 98% identical in the 44-amino acid 'orange' domain.mouse Hey1 is expressed at embryonic day 8 in the presomitic mesoderm and is widely expressed in tissues throughout gestation.