Zinc Finger Protein 358 (ZNF358)

Zinc finger transcription factors play essential roles in neural crest cell development. Even subtle disruptions of the function of these genes could contribute significantly to complex developmental phenotypes such as the multigenic disorder Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), a congenital failure of enteric neurogenesis.

ZNF358, a human orthologue of the mouse gene zfend, which is expressed in early developmental stages in the gut and in the neural folds at the time of neural crest differentiation. ZNF358 represents a putative transcription factor with DNA binding activity confered by 9 Cys₂His₂ zinc fingers. ZNF358 may be involved in the regulation of genes such as those necessary for development or differentiation of neural crest cells, it does not play an obvious role in HSCR.