Paired box protein Pax-7 (PAX7)

Paired box protein Pax-7 (PAX7) is a transcription factor belonging to the paired box gene family, containing a paired domain, homeodomain, and octapeptide. It is essential for the regulation of muscle stem cell (satellite cell) proliferation and differentiation during myogenesis, as well as neural crest development. PAX7 maintains the stem cell state of satellite cells, preventing premature differentiation, and regulates the expression of critical myogenic genes such as ID2, ID3, and CXCR4. PAX7 is a biomarker for satellite cells and a rare subset of spermatogonial stem cells. Loss or mutation of PAX7 causes developmental defects, and oncogenic gene fusions such as PAX7-FOXO1 are strongly associated with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. No direct-acting drugs on PAX7 are currently known, but its expression and fusion partners serve as important diagnostic and prognostic markers in pediatric soft tissue cancers[1][2][3][5].

Other names

HUP1HuP1CMYO19CMYP19MYOSCOPAX7BRMS2PAX7 transcriptional factorpaired box homeotic gene 7paired domain gene 7