Review

Runx transcription factors in neuronal development

Ken-ichi Inoue¹ , Takashi Shiga² and Yoshiaki Ito³

¹  Department of Medical Biochemistry, Aarhus University, DK-8000C, Aarhus, Denmark

²  Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, 305-8577, Japan

³  Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Biopolis Drive Proteos, 138673, Singapore

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Neural Development 2008, 3:20doi:10.1186/1749-8104-3-20

Published:	26 August 2008

Abstract

Runt-related (Runx) transcription factors control diverse aspects of embryonic development and are responsible for the pathogenesis of many human diseases. In recent years, the functions of this transcription factor family in the nervous system have just begun to be understood. In dorsal root ganglion neurons, Runx1 and Runx3 play pivotal roles in the development of nociceptive and proprioceptive sensory neurons, respectively. Runx appears to control the transcriptional regulation of neurotrophin receptors, numerous ion channels and neuropeptides. As a consequence, Runx contributes to diverse aspects of the sensory system in higher vertebrates. In this review, we summarize recent progress in determining the role of Runx in neuronal development.