ZIC2 is expressed in early gastrulation in mesoderm, ectodermal cells facing the amniotic cavity, and in the presumptive headfold region (inferred from mouse embryos). ZIC2 is then expressed in neuroectoderm and becomes restricted to dorsal axial structures (inferred from mouse embryos). Within the neural plate, ZIC2 is expressed more highly in the anterior region than in the posterior region (inferred from mouse embryos). POU3F1 (OCT6) binds the ZIC2 gene and activates expression (inferred from mouse embryonic stem cells in Zhu et al. 2014). In mouse embryos, Zic2 regulates a number of genes during neurulation including Sox2, Otx2, Zeb2, and Pou3f1 (Iwafuchi-Doi et al. 2012).