Molecular function of the lhx1a transcription factor

Transcription factors are crucial for proper gene expression because they coordinate temporal and spatial transcription. Lhx1a is a transcription factor belonging to the LIM homeodomain (LIM-HD) family and plays vital roles in development of the kidney and nervous system. It is expressed in zebrafish kidney stem cells during development and regeneration. It was previously showed that Lhx1a dimerizes with itself in a yeast two-hybrid system, and hypothesized that dimerization is important for its transcriptional activity. Identifying the dimerization domain would be valuable in probing the molecular function of lhx1a. Here, it is shown that the linker region is neither necessary nor sufficient for dimerization, and thus it is not the dimerization domain. Understanding the molecular function of Lhx1a could lead to strategies for manipulating its activity in kidney stem cells to enhance kidney regeneration.