The ADNP gene was first identified in murine P19 carcinoma cells as a vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) responsive gene showing increased expression after VIP treatment [Bassan et al., 1999; Pinhasov et al., 2003]. VIP is a neuro-protective peptide that is active during embryonic development, especially during the time of neuronal tube closure, and protects damaged nerve cells from cell death by inducing glia-derived, survival promoting substances [Said, 1996]. The human orthologue, ADNP, spans about 40 kb of genomic DNA and consists of five exons and four introns with alternative splicing of an untranslated second intron [Zamostiano et al., 2001]. Human and murine mRNA are 90% identical and the region is highly conserved between vertebrates. The encoded protein contains nine zinc fingers and a homeobox domain with a strong homology to that found in hox genes, suggesting a firm role in embryonic development (Fig. 2). Bioinformatic analysis also identified PxVxL as a potential heterochromatin protein 1α (HP1α) binding motif, together with an ARKS motif in the homeobox domain [Mosch et al., 2011]. Indeed, HP1α is found in co-immunoprecipitates from P19 nuclear
