Paired box protein Pax-8 (PAX8) (PAX8)

Paired box protein Pax-8 (PAX8) is a nuclear transcription factor from the paired box (PAX) gene family, containing a paired box domain, octapeptide, and paired-type homeodomain. It plays a central role in embryonic development and tissue-specific differentiation, particularly in thyroid follicular cell development, kidney organogenesis, and Müllerian system formation. PAX8 regulates thyroid-specific genes (e.g., thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase, sodium/iodide symporter) in cooperation with TTF-1/NKX2-1, promotes epithelial cell survival and proliferation via pathways involving tp53inp1 repression and E2F1 regulation, and is essential for thyroid morphogenesis where its absence leads to apoptosis of precursors. In cancer, PAX8 is overexpressed in thyroid, ovarian, renal, and other tumors, with PAX8-PPARγ fusions acting as oncogenes in follicular thyroid carcinomas; it also serves as a diagnostic immunohistochemical marker for these neoplasms due to its restricted nuclear expression

Other names

Pax8Paired box gene 8