basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain found in transcription factor 21 (TCF-21) and similar proteins
TCF-21, also termed capsulin, or Class A basic helix-loop-helix protein 23 (bHLHa23), or epicardin, or podocyte-expressed 1 (Pod-1), is a bHLH transcription factor expressed specifically in mesodermally-derived cells that surround the epithelium of the developing gastrointestinal, genitourinary and respiratory systems during mouse embryogenesis. It may play a role in the specification or differentiation of one or more subsets of epicardial cell types.