Sall1 and Sall2 are mammalian homologs of the Drosophila region-specific home-otic gene spalt (sal), which encodes a zinc finger-containing transcription regulator. Drosophila spalt (sal) is an essential genetic component required for the specification of posterior head and anterior tail as opposed to trunk. Mammalian Sall1 may mediate higher order chromatin structure, and may be a component of a distinct heterochromatin-dependent silencing process. Sall1 is present in kidney, brain and liver. Sall2 is a p53-independent regulator of p21 and BAX, and can function in some cell types as a regulator of cell growth and survival. Human Sall2 is present in brain, heart, kidney or pancreas. Sall1 and Sall2 are expressed in different areas of the fetal brain that may represent distinct sets of neurons.