WIZ, also known as ZNF803, was initially identified in a mouse cerebellum cDNA library screen and its message was found to be expressed in the granule cell layers of the cerebellum as well as in the dentate gyrus and olfactory bulb. Later analysis indicates however that WIZ is ubiquitously expressed. WIZ is a nuclear protein that co-localizes with G9a, a histone methyltransferase responsible for mono- and dimethylation of H3K9 at euchromatic regions. WIZ can also associate with CtBP family proteins, known to be transcriptional co-repressors, and has been suggested to link G9a/GLP complexes to the CtBP co-repressor machinery, possibly regulating complex stability and gene silencing.