The Brachyury protein is a T-box transcription factor that is one of the earliest indicators of mesoderm formation during embryonic development. As the brachyury protein family is essential for the formation of the posterior body in all vertebrates, Brachyury has been shown to be expressed during gastrula and neurula stages, as well as in the developing notochord. Consequently, when mutations occur within the brachyury gene, severe vertebral malformations have been found to occur, as a direct result. In addition, current findings also indicate that the dysregulation of brachyury may also be linked to the formation of chordomas, which are malignant tumors that develop along the spine.