Dataset Information

Phylogeny of the insect homeobox gene (hox) cluster.

ABSTRACT: The homeobox (Hox) genes form an evolutionarily conserved family encoding transcription factors that play major roles in segmental identity and organ specification across species. The canonical grouping of Hox genes present in the HOM-C cluster of Drosophila or related clusters in other organisms includes eight "typical" genes, which are localized in the order labial (lab), proboscipedia (pb), Deformed (Dfd), Sex combs reduced (Scr), Antennapedia (Antp), Ultrabithorax (Ubx), abdominalA (abdA), and AbdominalB (AbdB). The members of Hox cluster are expressed in a distinct anterior to posterior order in the embryo. Analysis of the relatedness of different members of the Hox gene cluster to each other in four evolutionarily diverse insect taxa revealed that the loci pb/Dfd and AbdB, which are farthest apart in linkage, had a high degree of evolutionary relatedness, indicating that pb/Dfd type anterior genes and AbdB are closest to the ancestral anterior and posterior Hox genes, respectively. The greater relatedness of other posterior genes Ubx and abdA to the more anterior genes such as Antp and Scr suggested that they arose by gene duplications in the more anterior members rather than the posterior AbdB.

SUBMITTER: Dhawan S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5172471 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Phylogeny of the insect homeobox gene (hox) cluster.

Dhawan Sangeeta S Gopinathan K P KP

Genomics, proteomics & bioinformatics 20050201 1

The homeobox (Hox) genes form an evolutionarily conserved family encoding transcription factors that play major roles in segmental identity and organ specification across species. The canonical grouping of Hox genes present in the HOM-C cluster of Drosophila or related clusters in other organisms includes eight "typical" genes, which are localized in the order labial (lab), proboscipedia (pb), Deformed (Dfd), Sex combs reduced (Scr), Antennapedia (Antp), Ultrabithorax (Ubx), abdominalA (abdA), a ...[more]

PMID: 16144521

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundHox genes are key elements in patterning animal development. They are renowned for their, often, clustered organisation in the genome, with supposed mechanistic links between the organisation of the genes and their expression. The widespread distribution and comparable functions of Hox genes across the animals has led to them being a major study system for comparing the molecular bases for construction and divergence of animal morphologies. Echinoderms (including sea urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers, feather stars and brittle stars) possess one of the most unusual body plans in the animal kingdom with pronounced pentameral symmetry in the adults. Consequently, much interest has focused on their development, evolution and the role of the Hox genes in these processes. In this context, the organisation of echinoderm Hox gene clusters is distinctive. Within the classificatory system of Duboule, echinoderms constitute one of the clearest examples of Disorganized (D) clusters (i.e. intact clusters but with a gene order or orientation rearranged relative to the ancestral state).ResultsHere we describe two Hox genes (Hox11/13d and e) that have been overlooked in most previous work and have not been considered in reconstructions of echinoderm Hox complements and cluster organisation. The two genes are related to Posterior Hox genes and are present in all classes of echinoderm. Importantly, they do not reside in the Hox cluster of any species for which genomic linkage data is available.ConclusionIncorporating the two neglected Posterior Hox genes into assessments of echinoderm Hox gene complements and organisation shows that these animals in fact have Split (S) Hox clusters rather than simply Disorganized (D) clusters within the Duboule classification scheme. This then has implications for how these genes are likely regulated, with them no longer covered by any potential long-range Hox cluster-wide, or multigenic sub-cluster, regulatory mechanisms.

Dataset Information

Phylogeny of the insect homeobox gene (hox) cluster.

Publications

Phylogeny of the insect homeobox gene (hox) cluster.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets