Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Development. 2023 Jan 1;150(1). doi: 10.1242/dev.192476. Epub 2023 Jan 16.
Hox genes encode evolutionarily conserved transcription factors that are essential for the proper development of bilaterian organisms. Hox genes are unique because they are spatially and temporally regulated during development in a manner that is dictated by their tightly linked genomic organization. Although their genetic function during embryonic development has been interrogated, less is known about how these transcription factors regulate downstream genes to direct morphogenetic events. Moreover, the continued expression and function of Hox genes at postnatal and adult stages highlights crucial roles for these genes throughout the life of an organism. Here, we provide an overview of Hox genes, highlighting their evolutionary history, their unique genomic organization and how this impacts the regulation of their expression, what is known about their protein structure, and their deployment in development and beyond.
Hox 基因编码进化上保守的转录因子，对于两侧对称生物的正常发育是必不可少的。Hox 基因是独特的，因为它们在发育过程中受到时空调节，这种调节方式受其紧密连锁的基因组组织所决定。虽然已经研究了它们在胚胎发育过程中的遗传功能，但对于这些转录因子如何调节下游基因以指导形态发生事件知之甚少。此外，Hox 基因在出生后和成年阶段的持续表达和功能突出了这些基因在生物体整个生命周期中的重要作用。在这里，我们提供了 Hox 基因的概述，强调了它们的进化历史、它们独特的基因组组织以及这如何影响它们的表达调控、它们的蛋白质结构的已知信息，以及它们在发育和其他方面的应用。
