This gene is located in a cluster of developmentally and temporally regulated genes on chromosome 6 encoding proteins involved in pattern formation. These proteins contain a characteristic DNA-binding motif called a homeodomain and function in transcriptional regulation. There are four distinct clusters of similar genes on chromosomes 2, 6, 11, and 15. The protein encoded by this gene is important for hematopoeisis. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2013]