Sall3 (SALL3, sal-like 3) and Sall4 (SALL4, sal-like 4) are mammalian homologs of the Drosophila region-specific homeotic gene spalt, which encodes a zinc finger-containing transcription regulator. Drosophila spalt is an essential genetic component required for the specification of posterior head and anterior tail as opposed to trunk. Sall3 is expressed at 24 weeks of gestation in several regions of the human fetal brain including neurons of the hippocampus formation and of mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamic nuclei, Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, and a subset of neurons in the brainstem. Sall4 expression in early mouse embryos is gradually confined to the head region and the primitive streak, followed by prominent expression in the developing midbrain, branchial arches, limbs and genital papilla.
