By searching a human database for orthologs of Drosophila 'Numb -interacting protein' (Nip), Qin et al. (2004) identified DUOXA1, which they called NIP. The deduced 470-amino acid transmembrane protein has a putative phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domain-binding motif.DUOXA1 gene is immediately adjacent in tail-to-tail orientation to the DUOXA2 gene on 15q15 and extends via untranslated exons into the DUOX1 promoter region.

By searching a database for sequences similar to DUOXA2, followed by RT-PCR of human thyroid tissue, Grasberger and Refetoff (2006) cloned DUOXA1. Northern blot analysis detected DUOXA1 transcripts of about 2.9 and 3.5 kb predominantly expressed in thyroid. Weaker expression was detected in esophagus, but not in any other tissue examined.