tinman, or tin is an Nk2-homeobox containing transcription factor first isolated in Drosophila flies.
tinman is expressed in the precardiac mesoderm and is responsible for the differentiation, proliferation, and specification of cardiac progenitor cells.
[1] In both Drosophila and vertebrates, the temporal and spatial expression of tinman is critical in determining cell lineage and patterning of the heart.
In mutant or knockout organisms, the loss of tinman results in the lack of heart formation.
[5] Abnormal placental expression of Nkx2.5 has been associated with some cases of severe, early onset preeclampsia.