Gonadal and Extragonadal Functions of Ad4BP/SF-1: Developmental Aspects.

Gene disruption studies have clearly indicated that 4-binding protein/steroidogenic factor 1 (Ad4BP/SF-1), originally identified as a steroidogenic tissue-specific transcription factor, plays crucial roles in the process of non-steroidogenic as well as steroidogenic tissue differentiation. Although the precise mechanisms underlying differentiation of these tissues are still under investigation, spatial and temporal expression profiles of the gene encoding Ad4BP/SF-1 support its contribution to tissue development from the earliest stages of ontogeny.