Sall4 - spalt like transcription factor 4

This gene belongs to the spalt family of zinc finger transcription factors. In mouse, functions for this gene have been described in many embryonic developmental processes, including brain, heart, and limb development. In addition, this gene is an important pluripotency factor that is required for stem cell maintenance. Homozygous mutant mice display embryonic lethality, while conditional knock-out in embryonic germ cells results in failure to establish a robust stem cell population. A pseudogene of this gene is found on chromosome 2. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Apr 2015]