Homeobox protein Hox-A5 (HOXA5)

Homeobox protein Hox-A5 (HOXA5) is a sequence-specific transcription factor belonging to the homeobox gene family, which encodes proteins that control positional identity during embryonic development. HOXA5 is part of the HOX gene cluster A on human chromosome 7 and binds specific DNA motifs to regulate gene expression essential for morphogenesis, cell differentiation, and regional specification along the body axis. Dysregulation of HOXA5, often through methylation-mediated silencing, is implicated in various malignancies—including breast, lung, colon cancers, and leukemias—largely due to its functions in upregulating tumor suppressor proteins (like p53), inhibiting angiogenesis, and modulating Wnt and p53 pathways. Loss of HOXA5 contributes to increased cell proliferation, reduced apoptosis, and enhanced tumor progression, making its pathway a focus for epigenetic therapies, especially in acute myeloid leukemia and solid tumors

Other names

HOXA5HOX1CHOX1HOX1.3Homeobox protein Hox-1Chomeo box 1Chomeo box A5

Reactivation of silenced HOXA5 via DNA hypomethylation (as by decitabine) may restore its tumor-suppressive functions, including upregulation of p53 and block of angiogenesis