In vertebrates, the genes encoding the class of transcription factors called homeobox genes are found in clusters named A, B, C, and D on four separate chromosomes. Expression of these proteins is spatially and temporally regulated during embryonic development. This gene is part of the A cluster on chromosome 7 and encodes a DNA-binding transcription factor which may regulate gene expression, morphogenesis, and differentiation. Three transcript variants encoding two different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in human menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSCs) identified the HOXA3 as a differentially-expressed gene that was down-regulated with increasing passage number in vitro [Chen et al. DOI:PMC4713568].