| POU (Pit, Oct, Unc) homeodomain proteins are transcriptional regulators that function in various developmental processes such as cell division, differentiation, specification and survival of specific cell types and participation in the determination of cell fate. POU domain factors are transcriptional regulators characterized by a bipartite DNA binding domain, which consists of two highly conserved regions tethered by a variable linker of 14AA26 amino acids. The versatility of POU protein operation is additionally conferred at the dimerization level. Transcription factors containing the POU homeodomain are important regulators of tissue-specific gene expression in lymphoid and pituitary differentiation and in early mammalian development. There are five classes of POU Domain Family proteins. Pit-1 is a member of class I, Bob 1, Skn-1a/i, Oct-1 and Oct-2 are members of class II, Oct-6, Brn-1 and Brn-2 are members of class III, Brn-3 is a member of class IV, and Oct-3 (Oct-4) is a member of class V. |
