Toward a study of gene regulatory constraints to morphological evolution of the Drosophila ocellar region.

ABSTRACT: The morphology and function of organs depend on coordinated changes in gene expression during development. These changes are controlled by transcription factors, signaling pathways, and their regulatory interactions, which are represented by gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Therefore, the structure of an organ GRN restricts the morphological and functional variations that the organ can experience-its potential morphospace. Therefore, two important questions arise when studying any GRN: what is the predicted available morphospace and what are the regulatory linkages that contribute the most to control morphological variation within this space. Here, we explore these questions by analyzing a small "three-node" GRN model that captures the Hh-driven regulatory interactions controlling a simple

SUBMITTER: Aguilar-Hidalgo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4896973 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature