Goosecoid is a homeodomain transcription factor with DNA binding specificity identical to that of the anterior morphogen 'bicoid' in Drosophila.During mouse embryogenesis, GSC influences development of the lower mandible and its associated musculature, including the tongue, the nasal cavity, and the nasal pits, as well as components of the inner ear and the external auditory meatus. The GSC gene encodes a member of the bicoid subfamily of the paired (PRD) homeobox family of proteins.