Homeodomain containing transcription factors are vital for proper development and differentiation in animals, plants and fungi. This 60 amino acid conserved DNA binding motif is found in six different class of proteins: ANTP, PRD, POU, LIM, SIX and TALE. Huge gene diversity in Antennapedia class of homeodomain proteins account for evolution of body plans, regulation… Read More »
In this blog post we take a look into homeobox repertoire of “Sponges-The pore bearers”. Homeobox genes in most primitive organism on earth “Ctenophores” gave some valuable insights and now we go a bit ahead in tree of life to gain further insights from demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica genome sequence. The first conclusive evidence for presence of… Read More »
Hox genes are expressed along the anterior-posterior (A/P) body axis in majority of animals , creating a unique A/P code which plays a pivotal role in segment specific morphogenesis. These homeodomain containing transcription factors are evolutionary conserved at the level of structure ,function and organization. This is best exemplified by their presence in clusters in… Read More »