NKX6-1 is the transcription factor which binds to specific A/T-rich DNA sequences in the promoter regions of a number of genes.
NKX6-1 is involved in transcriptional regulation in islet beta cells.
Binds to the insulin promoter and is involved in regulation of the insulin gene.
Together with NKX2-2 and IRX3, NKX6-1 acts to restrict the generation of motor neurons to the appropriate region of the neural tube.
NKX6-1 belongs to the class II proteins of neuronal progenitor factors, which are induced by SHH signals.In the pancreas, NKX6.1 is required for the development of beta cells and is a potent bifunctional transcription regulator that binds to AT-rich sequences within the promoter region of target genes Iype et al.