Background
This gene belongs to the homeobox family of genes. The homeobox genes encode a highly conserved family of transcription;factors that play an important role in morphogenesis in all multicellular organisms. Mammals possess four similar;homeobox gene clusters, HOXA, HOXB, HOXC and HOXD, which are located on different chromosomes and consist of 9 to 11;genes arranged in tandem. This gene is one of several homeobox HOXC genes located in a cluster on chromosome 12.