Members of the Dlx- and Nkx2-gene families are regionally expressed in the developing forebrain.

Members of the vertebrate Dlx- and Nkx2-homeobox-containing gene families exhibit closely related, complementary areas of gene expression in the developing forebrain. The expression domains and onset of gene transcription indicate that these genes may play a role in forebrain patterning, particularly in the diencephalon. In some cases, gene expression borders coincide with morphological boundaries separating functional and anatomical regions of the forebrain suggesting that the rostral region of the neural tube may indeed arise frm a segmented structure.