ALX homeobox protein 1 (ALX1, also known as CART1) is a sequence-specific DNA-binding transcription factor that binds palindromic sequences within promoters and may activate or repress the transcription of a subset of genes [, ]. It plays an important role in regulating the migration of cranial neural crest (CNC) cells into the frontonasal primordia []. Mutations in the ALX1 gene cause frontonasal dysplasia 3 (FND3), a class of midline facial malformations caused by abnormal development of the facial primordia [].
