The T-box gene family consists of members that share a unique DNA binding domain. The best characterized T-box (Tbx) gene, brachyury or T, encodes a transcription factor that plays an important role in early vertebrate development. Tbx genes are a family of developmental regulators with more than 20 members recently identified among invertebrates and vertebrates. Mutations in Tbx genes have been found to cause several human diseases. The understanding of functional mechanisms of Tbx products has come mainly from the prototypical T/brachyury protein, which is a transcription activator. The T-domain is a highly conserved DNA-binding motif originally defined in brachyury and characteristic of the Tbx family of transcription factors. The murine brachyury (T) gene is required in posterior mesoderm formation and axial development. Mutant embryos lacking T gene function are deficient in notochord differentiation and posterior mesoderm formation, but develop anterior mesoderm.
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