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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Hox patterning of the vertebrate axial skeleton.

Deneen M. Wellik
- 01 Sep 2007 - 
- Vol. 236, Iss: 9, pp 2454-2463
TLDR
This review summarizes genetic and embryologic findings regarding the role of Hox genes in establishing axial morphology and how these combined results impact the current understanding of the vertebrate Hox code.
Abstract
The axial skeleton in all vertebrates is composed of similar components that extend from anterior to posterior along the body axis: the occipital skull bones and cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and caudal vertebrae. Despite significant changes in the number and size of these elements during evolution, the basic character of these anatomical elements, as well as the order in which they appear in vertebrate skeletons, have remained remarkably similar. Through extensive expression analyses, classic morphological perturbation experiments in chicken and targeted loss-of-function analyses in mice, Hox genes have proven to be critical regulators in the establishment of axial skeleton morphology. The convergence of these studies to date allows an emerging understanding of Hox gene function in patterning the vertebrate axial skeleton. This review summarizes genetic and embryologic findings regarding the role of Hox genes in establishing axial morphology and how these combined results impact our current understanding of the vertebrate Hox code. Developmental Dynamics 236:2454 –2463, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Journal ArticleDOI

The African coelacanth genome provides insights into tetrapod evolution

Chris T. Amemiya, +94 more
- 18 Apr 2013 - 
TL;DR: Through a phylogenomic analysis, it is concluded that the lungfish, and not the coelacanth, is the closest living relative of tetrapods.
Journal ArticleDOI

Specialized ribosomes: a new frontier in gene regulation and organismal biology

TL;DR: The hypothesis that intrinsic regulation by the ribosome acts to selectively translate subsets of mRNAs harbouring unique cis-regulatory elements, thereby introducing an additional level of regulation in gene expression and the life of an organism is discussed.
Journal ArticleDOI

Hox genes and regional patterning of the vertebrate body plan.

TL;DR: Recent novel insight is reviewed into the modalities of Hox protein function in imparting specific identity to anatomical regions of the vertebral column, and in controlling the emergence of these tissues concomitantly with providing them with axial identity.
Journal ArticleDOI

The Dynamic Architecture of Hox Gene Clusters

TL;DR: Using high-resolution chromatin conformation capture methodology, this work examined the spatial configuration of Hox clusters in embryonic mouse tissues where different Hox genes are active and found that spatial compartmentalization may be key to process the colinear activation of these compact gene clusters.
Journal ArticleDOI

Segmental patterning of the vertebrate embryonic axis

TL;DR: The current understanding of the segmentation process in vertebrates is reviewed and the segmental pattern is established during embryogenesis when the somites — the embryonic segments of vertebrates — are rhythmically produced from the paraxial mesoderm.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

A gene complex controlling segmentation in Drosophila.

TL;DR: The wild-type and mutant segmentation patterns are consistent with an antero-posterior gradient in repressor concentration along the embryo and a proximo-distal gradient along the chromosome in the affinities for repressor of each gene's cis-regulatory element.
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Homeotic transformations of murine vertebrae and concomitant alteration of Hox codes induced by retinoic acid

TL;DR: It is suggested that the identity of a vertebral segment is specified by a combination of functionally active Hox genes, a "Hox code," and that exogenous RA interferes with the normal establishment of Hox codes and thus with axial specification.
Journal ArticleDOI

Regionally restricted developmental defects resulting from targeted disruption of the mouse homeobox gene hox-1.5

TL;DR: Gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem cells has been used to disrupt the homeobox gene hox-1.5, and homozygotes are athymic, aparathyroid, have reduced thyroid and submaxillary tissue and exhibit a wide range of throat abnormalities.
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