NKX2-5 polyclonal antibody

Nkx-2.5, which is also designated cardiac specific homeobox protein (Csx), is a homeodomain-containing nuclear transcription protein of the Nkx-2 gene family. These transcriptional activators, which include thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), regulate the expression of tissue specific genes and are required for maintaining the differentiated phenotypes of various lineages. Nkx-2.5 is a homolog to the tinman protein expressed in Drosophila, and is essential for normal cardiovascular development. Expression of Nkx-2.5 during cardiomyogenesis is required for cardiac septation, in which a single atrium and ventricle are separated into four chambers. During embryonic development, Nkx-2.5 is also expressed in the foregut, thyroid, spleen and stomach, while in the adult expression is predominantly restricted to the heart. Mutations that disrupt Nkx-2.5 can result in atrial-septal defects, embryonic lethality and congenital heart disease.