DBX2 is a member of the developing brain homeobox (DBX) protein family, but while the related protein DBX1 is expressed in various regions of the developing brain, DBX2 shows a more restricted pattern of expression in the brain, and is also expressed in some mesenchymal cells such as limb buds and tooth germs. It is thought that DBX1 and DBX2 promote the development of a subset of interneurons, some of which help mediate left-right coordination of locomotor activity. In Xenopus, DBX2 is involved in primary neurogenesis and early neural plate patterning, and is thought to act as a cross-repressive partner of NKX6-2 in the patterning of the ventral neural tube.