This gene is a member of the MAGEA gene family. The members of this family encode proteins with 50 to 80% sequence identity to each other. The promoters and first exons of the MAGEA genes show considerable variability, suggesting that the existence of this gene family enables the same function to be expressed under different transcriptional controls. The MAGEA genes are clustered at chromosomal location Xq28. They have been implicated in some hereditary disorders, such as dyskeratosis congenit

HOXB4 is a homeodomain-containing transcription factor with diverse roles in embryonic development and the regulation of adult stem cells. It promotes proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and can both activate and repress apoptosis.

Histones play a critical role in transcriptional regulation, cell cycle progression, and developmental events. Histone acetylation/deacetylation alters chromosome structure and affects transcription factor access to DNA. The protein encoded by this gene belongs to class I of the histone deacetylase family. It catalyzes the deacetylation of lysine residues in the histone N-terminal tails and represses transcription in large multiprotein complexes with transcriptional co-repressors. Multiple t

Hyaluronidase degrades hyaluronic acid, which is an important structural proteoglycan found in basement membranes and also extracellular matrices. There are six members of the hyaluronidase family. Hyaluronidase PH20 is a GPI-anchored enzyme located on the human sperm surface and inner acrosomal membrane and plays a role in sperm penetration through the the hyaluronic acid-rich cumulus cell layer surrounding the oocyte. Abnormal expression of this gene has been implicated in degradation of b

Proteins of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family are involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix in normal physiological processes, such as embryonic development, reproduction, and tissue remodeling, as well as in disease processes, such as arthritis, metastasis, and atherosclerosis. Most MMP's are secreted as inactive proproteins which are activated when cleaved by extracellular proteinases.$nMMP12 was first described in murine macrophages, later in human macrophages, and more r

DUSP4 is a member of the dual specificity protein phosphatase subfamily. These phosphatases inactivate their target kinases by dephosphorylating both the phosphoserine/threonine and phosphotyrosine residues. They negatively regulate members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase superfamily (MAPK/ERK, SAPK/JNK, p38), which is associated with cellular proliferation and differentiation. Different members of the family of dual specificity phosphatases show distinct substrate specificities