U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Nkx2-2 NK2 homeobox 2 [ Rattus norvegicus (Norway rat) ]

Gene ID: 366214, updated on 8-Apr-2026
Official Symbol
Nkx2-2provided by RGD
Official Full Name
NK2 homeobox 2provided by RGD
Primary source
RGD:1308443
See related
AllianceGenome:RGD:1308443
Gene type
protein coding
RefSeq status
PROVISIONAL
Organism
Rattus norvegicus
Lineage
Eukaryota; Metazoa; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Euteleostomi; Mammalia; Eutheria; Euarchontoglires; Glires; Rodentia; Myomorpha; Muroidea; Muridae; Murinae; Rattus
Summary
Predicted to enable DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific and RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding activity. Involved in optic nerve development; response to glucose; and response to progesterone. Predicted to be active in nucleus. Biomarker of demyelinating disease. Orthologous to human NKX2-2 (NK2 homeobox 2). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Jul 2025]
Expression
Restricted expression toward (RPKM 16.9) See more
Orthologs
all
Try the new Gene page
Try the new Transcripts and proteins table
See Nkx2-2 in Genome Data Viewer
Location:
3q41
Exon count:
3
Annotation release Status Assembly Chr Location
RS_2024_02 current GRCr8 (GCF_036323735.1) 3 NC_086021.1 (155072621..155083699, complement)
RS_2023_06 previous assembly mRatBN7.2 (GCF_015227675.2) 3 NC_051338.1 (134619701..134630282, complement)
106 previous assembly Rnor_6.0 (GCF_000001895.5) 3 NC_005102.4 (141408460..141419083, complement)

Chromosome 3 - NC_086021.1Genomic Context describing neighboring genes Neighboring gene uncharacterized LOC102547081 Neighboring gene NK2 homeobox 4 Neighboring gene adenosylmethionine decarboxylase 1, pseudogene 3 Neighboring gene uncharacterized LOC108350489 Neighboring gene paired box 1

Go to nucleotide: Graphics FASTA GenBank

  • Project title: A rat RNA-Seq transcriptomic BodyMap across 11 organs and 4 developmental stages
  • Description: 320 RNA samples isolated from 11 organs (adrenal gland, brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, spleen, thymus, and testes or uterus) from both sexes of Fischer 344 rats across four developmental stages (2-, 6-, 21-, and 104-weeks-old)
  • BioProject: PRJNA238328
  • Publication: PMID 24510058
  • Analysis date: Mon Jun 6 17:44:12 2016

Related articles in PubMed

  1. Ectopic transgenic expression of NKX2.2 induces differentiation of adult pancreatic progenitors and mediates islet regeneration. Chen S, et al. Cell Cycle, 2012 Apr 15. PMID 22433950
  2. Transient upregulation of Nkx2.2 expression in oligodendrocyte lineage cells during remyelination. Watanabe M, et al. Glia, 2004 May. PMID 15048854
  3. Endogenous Nkx2.2+/Olig2+ oligodendrocyte precursor cells fail to remyelinate the demyelinated adult rat spinal cord in the absence of astrocytes. Talbott JF, et al. Exp Neurol, 2005 Mar. PMID 15698615, Free PMC Article
  4. Pdx-1 or Pdx-1-VP16 protein transduction induces beta-cell gene expression in liver-stem WB cells. Delisle JC, et al. BMC Res Notes, 2009 Jan 9. PMID 19134185, Free PMC Article
  5. Effects of progesterone on oligodendrocyte progenitors, oligodendrocyte transcription factors, and myelin proteins following spinal cord injury. Labombarda F, et al. Glia, 2009 Jun. PMID 19053058

See all (37) citations in PubMed

GeneRIFs: Gene References Into Functions

What's a GeneRIF?
  1. Nkx2.2 targeted to the pancreas by UTMD induces pancreatic progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation with subsequent islet regeneration and cure of STZ-induced diabetes for three months.
    Title: Ectopic transgenic expression of NKX2.2 induces differentiation of adult pancreatic progenitors and mediates islet regeneration.
  2. Nkx2.2 is one of the essential transcription factors delivering the specificity of JN promoter in oligodendrocytes.
    Title: Identification of Juxtanodin promoter and its transcriptional regulation during the ATRA-induced differentiation of C6 cells.
  3. These results suggest that environmental factors such as cytokines may affect Nkx2.2 expression or oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation in the contusion-induced spinal cord injury model.
    Title: Nkx2.2 expression in differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells and inhibitory factors for differentiation of oligodendrocytes after traumatic spinal cord injury.
  4. prevents the precocious expression of myelin basic protein in immature oligodendrocytes
    Title: Stage-specific expression of myelin basic protein in oligodendrocytes involves Nkx2.2-mediated repression that is relieved by the Sp1 transcription factor.
  5. At 7 dpi, a significant up-regulation of Nkx2.2 by OPCs within the lesion was observed, 90% of which coexpressed NG2 and virtually all of which coexpressed the bHLH transcription factor Olig2.
    Title: Endogenous Nkx2.2+/Olig2+ oligodendrocyte precursor cells fail to remyelinate the demyelinated adult rat spinal cord in the absence of astrocytes.
  6. Increased expression of Nkx2.2 plays a critically important role in the differentiation of adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells into remyelinating oligodendrocytes.
    Title: Increased expression of Nkx2.2 and Olig2 identifies reactive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells responding to demyelination in the adult CNS.
  7. The process of generating new oligodendrocytes (OLs) in a remyelinating lesion recapitulates the developmental program involving activation of the Nkx2.2 gene.
    Title: Transient upregulation of Nkx2.2 expression in oligodendrocyte lineage cells during remyelination.
Submit: New GeneRIF Correction

Markers

Homology

Gene Ontology Provided by RGD

Function Evidence Code Pubs
enables DNA binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
enables DNA-binding transcription factor activity ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
enables DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
enables sequence-specific DNA binding ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
Process Evidence Code Pubs
acts_upstream_of_or_within astrocyte differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within cell development ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
involved_in cell differentiation IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within cell differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within digestive tract development ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within endocrine pancreas development ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within negative regulation of neuron differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within nervous system development ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within neuron fate specification ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within oligodendrocyte development ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
involved_in optic nerve development IEP
Inferred from Expression Pattern
more info
 PubMed 
acts_upstream_of_or_within pancreatic A cell fate commitment ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within pancreatic PP cell fate commitment ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within positive regulation of cell differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within positive regulation of gene expression ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within positive regulation of neuron differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within positive regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
involved_in regulation of DNA-templated transcription IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within regulation of DNA-templated transcription ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
involved_in regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in response to glucose IEP
Inferred from Expression Pattern
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in response to progesterone IEP
Inferred from Expression Pattern
more info
 PubMed 
acts_upstream_of_or_within smoothened signaling pathway ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within spinal cord motor neuron differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within spinal cord oligodendrocyte cell differentiation ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within spinal cord oligodendrocyte cell fate specification ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within type B pancreatic cell development ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within type B pancreatic cell fate commitment ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
acts_upstream_of_or_within ventral spinal cord interneuron fate determination ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
Component Evidence Code Pubs
is_active_in nucleus IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
located_in nucleus IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
located_in nucleus ISO
Inferred from Sequence Orthology
more info
  
Preferred Names
homeobox protein Nkx-2.2
Names
NK2 transcription factor related, locus 2

NEW Try the new Transcript table

RefSeqs maintained independently of Annotated Genomes

These reference sequences exist independently of genome builds. Explain

These reference sequences are curated independently of the genome annotation cycle, so their versions may not match the RefSeq versions in the current genome build. Identify version mismatches by comparing the version of the RefSeq in this section to the one reported in Genomic regions, transcripts, and products above.

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. NM_001191904.1 → NP_001178833.1  homeobox protein Nkx-2.2

    Status: PROVISIONAL

    Source sequence(s)
    JAXUCZ010000003
    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    D3ZDQ2
    Conserved Domains (1) summary
    pfam00046
    Location:131 → 185
    Homeobox; Homeobox domain

RefSeqs of Annotated Genomes: GCF_036323735.1-RS_2024_02

The following sections contain reference sequences that belong to a specific genome build. Explain

Reference GRCr8

Genomic

  1. NC_086021.1 Reference GRCr8

    Range
    155072621..155083699 complement
    Download
    GenBank, FASTA, Sequence Viewer (Graphics)

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. XM_039105602.2 → XP_038961530.1  homeobox protein Nkx-2.2 isoform X1

    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    D3ZDQ2
    Conserved Domains (1) summary
    pfam00046
    Location:131 → 185
    Homeobox; Homeobox domain

  2. XM_017591951.3 → XP_017447440.1  homeobox protein Nkx-2.2 isoform X1

    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    D3ZDQ2
    Conserved Domains (1) summary
    pfam00046
    Location:131 → 185
    Homeobox; Homeobox domain
Nucleotide Protein Strain
Heading Accession and Version

Gene LinkOut

The following LinkOut resources are supplied by external providers. These providers are responsible for maintaining the links.

Chemical Information
Molecular Biology Databases
Research Materials
Tools