Transcription factor regulating the expression of cell cycle genes essential for DNA replication and mitosis. Plays a role in the control of cell proliferation. Also plays a role in DNA break repair, participating in the DNA damage checkpoint response. Promotes transcription of PHB2. Localized to the animal hemisphere of early cleavage stage embryos. During neurulation, expressed in the neural folds. Later, expressed in the spinal cord and in the eye field. During tailbud stages, expression is still restricted to the neuroectoderm, predominantly to the hindbrain, the eye and the spinal cord. With ongoing development, expression is also found at lower levels in the branchial arches. At stage 35, expressed in the rhombencephalon and in the eye retina. Expressed both maternally and zygotically. Maternal levels decrease rapidly until the blastula stage. Absent from gastrula stage embryos and then zygotic expression starts during neurulation and persists until the end of organogenesis.