Hoxa2 - homeobox A2

This gene is located in a cluster of developmentally and temporally regulated genes on chromosome 6 encoding proteins involved in pattern formation. These proteins contain a characteristic DNA-binding motif called a homeodomain and function in transcriptional regulation. There are four distinct clusters of related genes on chromosomes 2, 6, 11, and 15. The protein encoded by this gene is expressed in rhombomere 2 and is important for hindbrain formation in the early embryo. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2013]