該基因編碼一個轉錄因子，在C端含有四個鋅指基序，在N端含有富含脯氨酸/谷氨酰胺的DNA結合域。它在泌尿生殖系統的正常發育中起著重要作用，并且在一小部分Wilms腫瘤患者中發生突變。該基因表現出復雜的組織特異性和多態性印記模式，在不同組織中有來自母系和父系等位基因的雙等位基因和單等位基因表達。已經描述了多種轉錄變體。在一些變體中，有證據表明使用了非aug（cug）翻譯起始密碼子上游和與第一個aug的框架中。pmid:7926762的作者也提供了證據，證明wt1 mRNA在人和大鼠中進行了RNA編輯，并且這一過程受組織限制和發育調節。
This gene encodes a transcription factor that contains four zinc-finger motifs at the C-terminus and a proline/glutamine-rich DNA-binding domain at the N-terminus. It has an essential role in the normal development of the urogenital system, and it is mutated in a small subset of patients with Wilms tumor. This gene exhibits complex tissue-specific and polymorphic imprinting pattern, with biallelic, and monoallelic expression from the maternal and paternal alleles in different tissues. Multiple transcript variants have been described. In several variants, there is evidence for the use of a non-AUG (CUG) translation initiation codon upstream of, and in-frame with the first AUG. Authors of PMID:7926762 also provide evidence that WT1 mRNA undergoes RNA editing in human and rat, and that this process is tissue-restricted and developmentally regulated.