Double homeobox 4 like 5 (DUX4L5)

Double homeobox 4 like 5 (DUX4L5) is a pseudogene located in a D4Z4 repeat array on chromosome 4q, with high homology to DUX4. DUX4L5 contains an open reading frame encoding two homeobox domains; however, there is no evidence for endogenous transcription or translation at this locus, and it is not known to produce a functional protein. Therefore, DUX4L5 is not considered a functional therapeutic target, nor is it implicated in known disease mechanisms. It is sometimes confused with DUX4 (Double homeobox 4), which is a transcription factor with major roles in early embryogenesis and in the pathogenesis of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, but DUX4L5 itself has no proven independent function or disease relevance. According to major sources, DUX4L5 is explicitly annotated as a pseudogene, meaning it does not encode a functional protein and has no established biological role. For Double homeobox protein 4 (DUX4, not DUX4L5), there are considerable data on transcription factor function, pathological involvements, and therapeutic relevance. But DUX4L5 lacks such data. There is "no evidence for transcription of the gene at this locus," i.e., DUX4L5 is non-functional. Aliases such as "Double homeobox protein 4-like protein 5" are naming variants of DUX4L5 itself. Conclusion: DUX4L5 is a pseudogene with no detectable biological function or therapeutic relevance. Many published findings pertain to DUX4, not DUX4L5. If you intended DUX4 (Double homeobox 4), which is of major biomedical interest, that would be a different query altogether.

Other names

Double homeobox protein 4-like protein 5DUX4L5