Bolker J A, Raff R A
Indiana Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405, USA.
Bioessays. 1996 Jun;18(6):489-94. doi: 10.1002/bies.950180611.
The concept of homology arose from classical studies of comparative morphology, and took on a new significance with the advent of evolutionary theory. It is currently undergoing another metamorphosis: many developmental geneticists now define homology as shared patterns of gene expression. However, this new usage conflates definition with criteria, and fails to recognize that meaningful assignments of homology must specify a biological level. We argue that although developmental genetic data can help identify homologous structures, they are neither necessary nor sufficient, and do not in any case justify a new definition of homology.
同源性的概念源于比较形态学的经典研究，并随着进化论的出现而具有了新的意义。它目前正在经历另一种转变：现在许多发育遗传学家将同源性定义为基因表达的共享模式。然而，这种新用法将定义与标准混为一谈，并且没有认识到同源性的有意义的判定必须指定一个生物学层面。我们认为，尽管发育遗传数据有助于识别同源结构，但它们既非必要条件也非充分条件，而且无论如何都不能成为同源性新定义的理由。
