This protein specifies the body segmentation pattern. It is required for the development of the central nervous system. Transcriptional regulator that represses activated promoters. Wg signaling operates by inactivating the SGG repression of EN autoactivation. Expression initiates prior to the ninth embryonic nuclear division cycle within 1.5 hours after fertilization. By the cellular blastoderm stage (the 14th nuclear division cycle) is localized into 14 stripes, 1-2 cells wide, spaced along the anterior-posterior axis of the embryo. Phosphorylated. Phosphorylation may directly or allosterically modify its function. Belongs to the engrailed homeobox family.