Moreover, the double KO of Hipk2 and High-Mobility Group A1 (Hmga1, a gene coding for a non-histone chromatin protein, previously identified as HIPK2 interactor and substrate) causes perinatal death from respiratory failure, associated with impaired lung development and reduction in surfactant proteins, as well as reduced expression of thyroid differentiation markers [48], suggesting that HIPK2 is also involved in the development of endoderm-derived organs. This evidence concerns the gene HIPK2 and respiratory failure.