FOXP2 [SEP] found in taxon
for modulating plasticity of neural circuits. Outside the brain "FOXP2" has also been implicated in development of other tissues such as the lung and gut.
"FOXP2" is popularly dubbed the "language gene", but this is only partly correct since there are other genes involved in language development. It directly regulates a number of other genes, including "CNTNAP2", "CTBP1", "SRPX2" and "SCN3A".
Three amino acid substitutions distinguish the human "FOXP2" protein from that found in
expresses the transcription factor FOXP2. Given that sodium deprivation is a time-consuming experimental manipulation, and that FoxP2 is stably expressed without any experimental manipulation, this transcription factor can serve as a useful surrogate marker for labeling pre-LC neurons. However, FoxP2 expression is found in several nearby brain regions (not including the locus coeruleus, mesencephalic nucleus of the trigeminal, or laterodorsal tegmental nucleus), so it is not unique to the pre-LC. That is, every pre-LC neuron expresses FoxP2, but not