Natural selection and molecular evolution in primate PAX9 gene, a major determinant of tooth development.

ABSTRACT: Large differences in relation to dental size, number, and morphology among and within modern human populations and between modern humans and other primate species have been observed. Molecular studies have demonstrated that tooth development is under strict genetic control, but, the genetic basis of primate tooth variation remains unknown. The PAX9 gene, which codes for a paired domain-containing transcription factor that plays an essential role in the development of mammal dentition, has been associated with selective tooth agenesis in humans and mice, which mainly involves the posterior teeth. To determine whether this gene is polymorphic in humans, we sequenced approximately 2.1 kb of the entire four-exon region (exons 1, 2, 3 and 4; 1,026 bp) and exon-intron (1.1 kb) boundaries of 86 i

SUBMITTER: Pereira TV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1458632 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature