Callaerts Patrick, Clements Jason, Francis Carmen, Hens Korneel
Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, VIB-PRJ8, KULeuven, Center for Human Genetics, Onderwijs & Navorsing, Herestraat 49, bus 602, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Arthropod Struct Dev. 2006 Dec;35(4):379-91. doi: 10.1016/j.asd.2006.09.002.
The arthropod compound eye is one of the three main types of eyes observed in the animal kingdom. Comparison of the eyes seen in Insecta, Crustacea, Myriapoda and Chelicerata reveals considerable variation in terms of overall cell number, cell positioning, and photoreceptor rhabdomeres, yet, molecular data suggest there may be unexpected similarities. We review here the role of Pax6 in eye development and evolution and the relationship of Pax6 with other retinal determination genes and signaling pathways. We then discuss how the study of changes in Pax6 primary structure, in the gene networks controlled by Pax6 and in the relationship of Pax6 with signaling pathways may contribute to our insight into the relative role of conserved molecular-genetic mechanisms and emergence of evolutionary novelty in shaping the ommatidial eyes seen in the Arthropoda.
节肢动物复眼是动物界中观察到的三种主要眼睛类型之一。对昆虫纲、甲壳纲、多足纲和螯肢亚门动物眼睛的比较显示，在整体细胞数量、细胞定位和感光小网膜方面存在相当大的差异，然而，分子数据表明可能存在意想不到的相似之处。我们在此回顾了Pax6在眼睛发育和进化中的作用以及Pax6与其他视网膜决定基因和信号通路的关系。然后，我们讨论了对Pax6一级结构的变化、由Pax6控制的基因网络以及Pax6与信号通路的关系的研究如何有助于我们深入了解保守分子遗传机制的相对作用以及进化新奇性在塑造节肢动物小眼方面的出现。
