EMX1 is a homeobox transcription factor that functions primarily in nervous system development and organogenesis. During neural development, EMX1 cooperates with EMX2 to establish boundaries between brain regions and works with OTX1/2 to specify cell fates in the developing central nervous system 1. In neural differentiation contexts, EMX1 coordinates with proneural factors like NGN2 to redirect their genomic binding and promote specification of glutamatergic neurons while silencing alternative neurotransmitter programs 2. Beyond the brain, EMX1 regulates nephron distal segment development in zebrafish by acting downstream of retinoic acid signaling and controlling expression of irx3b, irx1a, and sim1a 3. In disease contexts, EMX1 exhibits context-dependent roles. In hepatocellular carcinoma, DNA hypermethylation activates EMX1 full-length isoform (EMX1-FL), which promotes tumor metastasis by binding the EGFR promoter and activating EGFR-ERK signaling 4. Conversely, in sarcomas, EMX1 acts as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating WNT pathway signaling and repressing cancer stem cell gene expression 5. These opposing roles highlight the importance of tissue and context-specific EMX1 function in disease pathogenesis.