Abstract
The past years have witnessed an increasing number of reports relative to homeobox genes in endoderm-derived tissues. In this review, we focus on the caudal-related Cdx-1 and Cdx-2 homeobox genes to give an overview of the in vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo approaches that emphasize their primary role in intestinal development and in the control of intestinal cell proliferation, differentiation, and identity. The participation of these genes in colon tumorigenesis and their identification as important actors of the oncogenic process are also discussed.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Avian Proteins*
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CDX2 Transcription Factor
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Cell Differentiation
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Cell Division
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Chick Embryo
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Drosophila Proteins
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Drosophila melanogaster / genetics
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Epithelium / embryology
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Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / genetics
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
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Genes, Homeobox / physiology*
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Homeodomain Proteins / genetics*
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Homeodomain Proteins / physiology
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Humans
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Intestines / embryology*
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Mice
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Models, Biological
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Trans-Activators
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Transcription Factors
Substances
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Avian Proteins
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CDX1 protein, human
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CDX2 Transcription Factor
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Cdx1 protein, mouse
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Drosophila Proteins
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Homeodomain Proteins
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Trans-Activators
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Transcription Factors
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cad protein, Drosophila