The NANOG is located on chromosome 12, and the mRNA contains a 915 bp open reading frame (ORF) with 4 exons and 3 introns.

[8] The N-terminal region of hNanog is rich in serine, threonine and proline residues, and the C-terminus contains a tryptophan-rich domain.

[11] In this embryonic stage, NANOG represses Pou3f1, a transcription factor crucial for the anterior-posterior axis formation.

[13] The NANOG protein has been found to be a transcriptional activator for the Rex1 promoter, playing a key role in sustaining Rex1 expression.

[15][16][17][18][19] NANOG is highly expressed in cancer stem cells and may thus function as an oncogene to promote carcinogenesis.

[20][21][22] Recent research has shown that the localization of NANOG and other transcription factors have potential consequences on cellular function.

Similarly, the expression of Nanog family proteins is increased in many types of cancer and correlates with a worse prognosis.