TBX19 Background Information The T-box (Tbx) motif is present in a family of genes whose structural features and expression patterns support their involvement in developmental gene regulation. The TBX gene family encode for putative transcription factors that share a uniquely defining DNA-binding domain and are implicated in a variety of developmental processes, ranging from the formation of germ layers to the organizational patterning of the central nervous system. TBX genes encode a family of developmental regulators with more than 20 members recently identified in invertebrates and vertebrates, one of which is TBX19, a 448 amino acid nuclear protein. Our understanding of functional mechanisms of TBX proteins has come mainly from the prototypical T/Brachyury, which is a transcriptional activator. Mutations in TBX genes are associated with the onset of several human diseases.
